New Age Exodus
by Shadowflame19
Summary: Earth is lost to the Heartless, and it falls to one survivor to be the hero the worlds need. This is his story.
1. Prologue: One Last Breath

Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure what will be involved with this story. Hell, I'm not even sure if it'll be finished. But I'll try my best. Here's the disclaimers for what I DO know: Kingdom Hearts is owned by SquareEnix, and maybe Disney, but definitely not me. The Dark Tower Series, featured at least in this chapter, is owned by it's creator, Stephen King, and not me.

Also, I don't own the song One Last Breath, by Creed.

I own the character of Sam, as well as any others I take credit for in the chapters where they appear.

--

I stand, panting hard, as the key turns in the lock. A sound, like thunder, as the tumblers turn. I let go of the key, falling back against cool, charcoal-grey stone. I wipe a hand across my forehead, looking around at those who stand nearby.

Riku, surveying us all just as I am. Odd to think that when this started, he scared me. Now, I trust him with my life, and I know that he trusts me with his. I feel like if anyone else could have brought us here, it would have been him.

Sora, his brown hair dripping with sweat, still holding onto his keyblade. I can't say I blame him. He was the first of all of us to wield one of them, and here, so close to never needing it again, it just seems...right, somehow, that he should let go of his last.

Kairi, both beautiful and fierce. I feel like out of all of us, she's the one I understand best. Probably because she brought me into this group in the first place. Her heart and charisma have held us together through all of this.

I look down at my hands, wondering how I managed to pull this whole thing off. I've gained so much in all this, but at the same time, I fear that part of me might be lost. Lost, after all I've done, all I've had to do. None of it was easy. ALL of it was necessary.

I rise slowly to my feet, turning to look over the edge. My hands rest on the cool stone as I look down at the black swarm below. There was no grand battle. No valiant last stand. The war we waited for, the war we prepared for...it never came. Instead, just as they always did, they came out of nowhere, surrounding us. It took all we had to hold them off. To cut our way through to the base of this tower.

I remember when we all thought it was only a game. That it was all pretend. Kid's stuff, ya know? But we were all wrong...all of us, so damned wrong. I close my eyes, thinking of all those lost in the fray. Many of them never even knew it was happening. I've lost alot of people to come this far. People I cared a damn lot about. But somehow, through it all, I managed to stay alive. To stay human. Sadly, that's more than alot of people can say.

I look over my shoulder, at Kairi. I know, now, why Sora and Riku would give everything they have to protect her. To be honest, after all that's happened, so would I. She's always been strong, and kind, and...perfect, when you get right down to it. I know that Riku and Sora would agree.

I close my eyes, breathing deeply. At this height, the only sound is the wind, and the song. The song of a thousand worlds, hurting and hoping for salvation. I smile slightly, knowing that what the worlds have hoped for is soon at hand.

I open my eyes, bleary-eyed, but smiling slightly as I remember that detail. _Everything starts over, now. But this time, we make our own rules. The four of us, on top of this tower, in the middle of a field of roses and shadows...we can change it all. Make it so it never happened. So that nobody died. So that those monsters down there...never existed._

I turn my eyes to the horizon, where the sun sets, seeming to set the earth and sky ablaze. I can hear the wind pick up, swirling around me, around us all, as the sun sinks lower. Lower. Lower still. Finally, the last edge of the fiery disc disappears below the horizon. The last light of day disappears from the world. And then...nothing.

But it's not really nothing, as much as...the absence of everything else. Everything else but us. We all stand, the four of us, and grasp the great keys again. But then...I stop. And so does everything else. I turn my head.

I look at you.

You hear my voice, clear as can be, echo softly in your mind.

_So. By this point, my guess is that you're confused. Dumbfounded. At a loss. Drawing a blank. I could go on. But I won't. Not alot of time, but I think I got that point across already. _

_Do you know why you're here? I do. You're here to hear my story. It's not too late to turn back, if you want. But I hope you don't. I hope you keep reading._

_Got questions? Good. I should have answers. But you'll have to wait for some of those answers. You can't jump around in a story like this. Best to start at the beginning. So come on. Turn the page. Keep reading._

_Get ready for the story of a lifetime._

_For my story._

--

Well, all I can hope for is some reviews. I'd like honest and constructive, please. Any/all flames will be used to keep me warm at night. Especially once the next Wisconsin winter rolls around.


	2. Chapter One: No World For Tomorrow

Alright. Time for another disclaimer. Like I said before, I do not own Kingdom Hearts (Square Enix/Disney) or the Dark Tower Series (Stephen King). I also do not own the song No World For Tomorrow, by Coheed and Cambria.

I do, however, own the character of Sam, and in this chapter, I own the character of Matt, as well.

--

_I hold out my hand, waiting for you to take it. I'd hurry if I were you, but that's because I'm impatient. When you take my hand, everything else fades away. Even you and I fade away, but your mind and mine remain. A gust of wind, a flash of light…and we're here. Home. For me, at least. I show you the world, the country, the state, the county, and finally…the town. In that town, we see the sights. The lake, downtown, Wal-Mart. You know, the usual._

_I show you a park. And in that park, a bridge, over a pond. And on that bridge, stands a young man, gazing into the water. Average height, average weight, 18 or so. Slim glasses shield his hazel eyes from the worst of the wind. His hair is too short to be bothered by the breeze. He dresses comfortably, but a little light for the chill in the air. He shivers slightly._

_I bring us closer, and you truly recognize this young man. At least, you should. He's me. And it's time for me to remember the day it started._

--

In honesty, I don't remember much of the summer after I graduated high school. It was dull and exciting, fast and slow, long and short. At the same time, it was everything I could ask for, and the summer from hell. And then, both all too soon and not soon enough, it was over. Autumn was coming.

While I dreaded it then, now I wish I had been able to stay. Able to see what changes a normal life would have brought me. I wouldn't get the chance. Like I said, I don't remember much about that summer. But I'll always remember the day my life changed forever.

The day it all changed started like any other. I woke up late, ate, showered, and went to work. It was the day of the season-ending kickball tournament in our town's league, and my friends and I played our hardest. We wound up taking 3rd place, and we couldn't have been happier. We'd all graduated that year, and could feel college and our futures breathing down our necks.

We decided to celebrate (for them, anyway; I was busy earning a paycheck) by relaxing at the town's Teen Center, where I worked. I, sadly, was too busy to enjoy the celebration. And I was about to become even busier.

I remember sitting down for a moments rest when I caught a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. This was followed almost immediately by a rush towards the door by the other Center staff.

"Hold up, man, you aren't allowed to bring that in here."

"If you don't leave or leave it outside, we're calling the cops."

I stood and walked over, and felt a rush of blood to my face. Standing there, in the front door of the place where I worked, was Matt. About my height (6' or so), he'd been one of my best friends since sophomore year, when he was a senior. His greatest point of pride: his sword collection.

And lo and behold, what should he be carrying in his hand, but the _single largest sword in his entire collection._ He saw me, and tried to push through the small group of people, sword first. I ran up, giving my co-workers the sign to back off.

"Whoa." I started, unsure how else to begin. "What's going–"

"You have to come with me, NOW!" he interrupted. "You're never gonna believe this!"

"Believe what, Matt? What happened?"

Matt stepped close to me, the sword lowered at his side. He whispered harshly, "They're real, Sam. The Heartless. They're real, and they're here!"

I was just about to laugh it off when I heard the scream. I turned, just in time to see some of the teens collapse, their skin rippling and darkening, shrinking and shifting into an all-too-familiar shape. Yellow, unblinking eyes appeared, and I could feel, more than see, that their attention was on Matt and I.

I yelled, running forward without thinking. I reached one of the creatures, kicking out as it was preparing to leap at one of the few who had remained human. I felt my foot connect, then fly through open air as the shadow became two-dimensional, flattening itself on the floor.

I looked at it, then around myself. Most of the kids had changed, and the few who hadn't were already out the door. The only people left were myself, Matt, and a few of my friends. I felt something tug at the leg of my jeans, then let panic dictate my actions.

"RUN!" I no sooner gave the yell than I followed my own advice, bolting for the light of the outdoors. I reached it just a moment after my friends, resisting the urge to look back at the mob of Heartless that was no doubt in pursuit.

Out the door we went, running without a break for blocks. What I remember seeing that day will always haunt me. Cars stopped in the streets, the sidewalks, everywhere. Shadows seeping out of the doors, and out of the houses we passed, and the eerie feeling that they were _all following us._

None of us dared to look back, but I soon fell behind. I'd never been a fast runner, and even the rush of adrenaline couldn't change that. I noticed the rest of the group start to slow down.

"KEEP GOING! MATT, TAKE EM TO YOUR PLACE, GET EM SOMETHING TO FIGHT WITH! IT PROBABLY WON'T BE LONG UNTIL THEY FIND THE KE—" I was cut off by a massive rumbling as the sky darkened, and a wave of nausea washed over me. I nearly fell, but managed to keep my feet. I felt the earth shift beneath my feet, and kept running. Soon, I was home, and then inside.

I ran upstairs, not entirely sure of what was compelling me to be there in the first place. I didn't notice it entirely then, but as I got closer to my room, my nausea faded, as did my panic. I entered my room, and walked, trance-like, to my wall. Then I spotted it.

Nailed up on my wall, like it had been for the last 2 years, was a wooden Tai Chi sword. I'd received it as a birthday present, and had been overly protective of it ever since. I walked over to it, grabbing it and lifting it from the nails on which it hung. My mind cleared as I touched it, although I didn't have the time to appreciate that fact.

Without another moment wasted, I ran out of my house, jumping over the railing of our back deck, down a 7-10 foot drop. I hit the ground running, not missing a step. I ran up the hill in my backyard, to the track field behind our land. What I saw there…I never expected.

You know at the beginning of Kingdom Hearts, where Destiny Islands is being destroyed, and sucked into a huge vortex in the sky?

That was basically my backyard.

I stopped for less than a second, mindless desire for action driving me forward. I noticed Matt and the others across the field from me, running towards me. I dared a look around, trying in vain to ignore the shifting darkness surrounding the field. I watched the distance between us close, and let myself get hopeful that we might all make it out of here alright. That hope was crushed pretty quick, however, because right about then, the ground stopped existing.

I fell, somehow still moving forward, looking at Matt and my other friends. Our momentum kept us moving towards each other, while we all kept flying up, into the vortex above. I held out my hand, and Matt held out his. The light grew brighter, and any sound was blocked out by a roaring unlike anything I've ever heard.

Our fingertips touched for a brief moment, then lost contact. I felt a horrible pressure, both pushing at me from all directions and threatening to pull me apart. I gripped my wooden sword, focusing all I had on keeping it with me.

The light grew brighter. The wind and pressure grew stronger. The roaring that comes from a world torn apart grew louder.

And then I knew no more.

--

_But that's not the end. You've already seen the end. This is simply the end to my normal life. The end of what I believed to be real._

_From here, things get a little more exciting at times, a little more dull in others. It's life, after all._

_At this point, I can only hope you're still reading. The story's still here. It still happened. It's important for you to know. For you to hear._

_So come on. Turn the page. Keep reading._

_The adventure's just begun._

--

Pretty please? Read and Review. BREAK THE SILENCE!!...j/k

Seriously, though. Reviews help me make the story better. Unless they're flames. Then it's time for s'mores.


	3. Chapter Two: Reroute to Remain, Part 1

Disclaimer time! I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or anything owned by the owners thereof. I also don't own the song Reroute to Remain, by In Flames.

I do own the character of Sam and his adventure.

--

_We follow my body down into the darkness, watching me turn again and again. A point of light appears, and then I take your hand again._

_Come. The time is near, but before this tale continues, I must show you what's at stake. What we have fought for. I lead us back up into the darkness, until the abyss around us begins to sparkle with a million points of light. I pause for a moment, pointing to a distant, shimmering blue star. _

_As we watch, the blue light flares briefly, and then winks out. A moment later, more stars nearby follow its example. I pull us away, closing my eyes as I speak._

"_That is the horror of the Heartless. Each of those stars represents a world the size of Earth. When they wink out like that…every living thing on those worlds either gives into the darkness, or is lost within it."_

_I bring us back towards my body, still where it was. As we watch, the point of light grows quickly, becoming larger and larger, until we find ourselves looking upon a world not unlike Earth. My body falls towards the night side, falling faster and faster as gravity takes hold._

_Until it stops. A bright white-blue light surrounds me, and three sparkles of light shine brightly from the world's surface, far below. My body turns, falling quickly towards those lights, and we follow me down, farther and farther, until…_

--

The first thing I remember after…everything, is trying to breath and rapidly verifying that humans do not, in fact, have gills.I opened my eyes, seeing a light through what seemed an eternity of water. I swam upward clumsily, my lungs screaming for air.

I pulled my head above the surface, gasping loudly as I struggled to give my body what it had been denied. I relaxed in the water, barely managing to float under the weight of my soaked clothes. However, I found I didn't have the strength or the energy to move at the moment, and wound up drifting with the current, using my energy just to stay above the surface.

I don't know how long I drifted in the sea, only that by the time the tide washed me up somewhere, my fingers were just beginning to prune up. I felt a wet, sandy surface make gentle, teasing contact with my back a few times, before the water finally decided to leave me there.

I opened my eyes then, looking up at a star-studded sky. I knew this was not my home. I knew that it probably wasn't even my world. But I remember thinking something then.

"There are many worlds, but they all share the same sky: one sky, one destiny." I spoke the words aloud, a small smile crossing my face. Somehow, I had managed to find some comfort in the chaos I had been surrounded with. I held onto it as tightly as I could.

Gripping that comfort tightly in my heart, I allowed my body to drift into true sleep, instead of the hellish unconsciousness I had been plunged into before.

--

I woke suddenly, bolting up into a sitting position. I regretted it though, as the headache I received from the sudden movement left me clutching my head for several moments. I heard a shifting of sand behind me, followed by soft laughter.

"Sora used to do that same thing. Fall asleep on the beach, and then sit up too fast when he woke up. It left me and Riku laughing every time." The voice was soft, and feminine. Not to mention familiar. I turned, and saw her, for real, for the first time.

She stood behind me, one hand on her hip, the other hanging loosely at her side. Her shoulder-length red hair seemed lustrous in the late morning sunshine. Her eyes seemed to capture all of the blue of the sea, and somehow make it _more._ I must have been looking at her strangely, because she chuckled again, her eyes twinkling as she did so.

"You can stop staring anytime, you know." She smirked at me, causing me to blush fiercely. I was rewarded with another laugh, and slowly stood to face her. I was distracted, however, by the lack of…something…then it hit me. I turned quickly, scanning the beach for any sign of the wooden sword I had grabbed before falling…wherever I had gone before coming here. I panicked slightly, running my hands through my hair. I couldn't say why, but the sword seemed…important, somehow.

She spoke up again, sounding almost concerned. "What's wrong? You're not looking for that wooden sword, are you?"

I whipped around, my mind asking a thousand questions, but my mouth only managing one: "Where is it?"

Her eyes widened. "I found it in pieces near you when I got here this morning. It looked pretty beaten up. I didn't know what to do with it, so I put the bigger pieces in that little hut over there."

I looked at her for a moment, putting together the meaning behind what she had said. I then bolted past her, running towards the hut she had mentioned. I opened the door, ran inside, and fell to my knees.

'Pretty beaten up' was the nicest thing you could have said about the splintered pieces of wood in the sand before me. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought she had just gathered some driftwood and called it a sword. I began sifting through the pieces with my hands, sparing her only a nod over my shoulder when she followed me inside.

"Is everything okay? I know it looks bad, but we could probably…well, not fix it, but we could replace it, right?"

I opened my mouth to speak, instead yelping in pain as I caught a sliver right in the flat of my palm. I shook my hand, trying to shake off the pain, and looked at the nearly inch-long piece of wood sticking out of my hand.

In a moment, the girl was beside me, holding my hand. I stopped worrying about the sword, stopped worrying about where I seemed to be, but knew I couldn't be. All that was, was her and I. She looked up at me, then said something I didn't quite catch.

"Come again? A little distracted right now, if it's okay." I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry.

"I said, my name's Kairi. And then I told you this looks like it's going to hurt to get it out. And that's about when you stopped me." She looked closer at my hand, then looked back at me, waiting for a response.

"I'm Sam. Sorry to interrupt, it's just that – OW!!" I pulled my hand free from hers, looking at the red dab of blood forming in the center of my palm. I looked to her hand, to the sliver she now held between her fingers.

Kairi looked to the sliver, then back to me. "Looks like I was right. Could have been worse, though. Now, before you do this again, why don't you let me help? What are you looking for?"

I turned back to the pile, staying to the bigger pieces. I answered her while looking over them. "Honestly? I can't say. I guess I'll know it when I – got it!"

I reached into the pile, wrapping my fingers around the familiar grip of the sword. Somehow, the sword had been snapped apart at the blade, and the entire grip, from the guard to the pommel, remained intact. I stood, pocketing it and wiping the blood off on my jeans. I turned to Kairi, holding my non-injured hand out to her.

She took it, pulling herself to her feet, then brushed herself free of sand. I followed her example. Looking around, I wandered up the stairs in the hut, to a door at the top of them. I opened it, wandering out onto a small plateau, with a bridge leading to…that island.

It was complete in every detail. The trees were right, the shape of the island itself was right, it was all….right. Even the curved swoop of the paopu tree was exactly as the games had represented it. I walked across the bridge, remembering fighting Heartless for the first time along that very path.

I reached the island, and walked to the paopu tree. I ran my hand along its bark, noting that the texture seemed somewhat like a birch tree back at home. I leaned against it, looking out over the water. I heard footsteps on the bridge, then on the sand behind me. Kairi walked around me, taking her usual spot sitting on the tree itself.

She looked at the water for a moment, as well. She then turned to me. "You're not from this world, are you?"

I admit, the bluntness of her question surprised me at first, before I remembered who I was talking to. This was Kairi, one of the 7 Princesses of Heart. Of course she knew about other worlds. She'd traveled to enough on her own. I cleared my throat, looking back at her. "No, I'm not. The Heartless…did what they do. My world is gone, now."

She sighed, her eyes downcast. Her hands balled up into fists, as she said, "Sora and Riku aren't going to like this…but I don't suppose there's much else that can be done, is there?"

I said nothing, I recognized the worry already present in her voice, but I was still trying to come to terms with what had happened to me.

_World destroyed by fictional monsters? Check._

_Somehow survived destruction? Check._

_Not only survived, but landed on a fictional island? Check._

_Meeting a video game character in real life? Check._

_Realizing you have a crush on that character? Check._

I stopped myself after that last thought. A crush? On Kairi? I looked down, trying to stop blushing before she could notice. When I looked up, I saw her turn her head suddenly, as though she had been watching me. I looked at her for a moment, wondering what that had been about, then spoke: "So what happens now?"

Kairi replied, "Simple. You stay here, and I go and tell Sora and Riku–"

"Tell us what? Is there something we should know?"

Kairi and I both turned, to see both Keyblade Masters standing behind us. Sora was the one who had spoken, and Riku stood, expressionless, behind him, his eyes trained on me. Sora, on the other hand, seemed rather impressed with his entrance, and wore his trademark grin.

I glanced at Kairi, then back to Sora and Riku. Unfortunately for me, Riku continued to give me a look that made me feel as though I was being tested for something, and I hadn't had the chance to study.

Kairi spoke, "It's the Heartless, Sora. They're back."

That seemed to be all that needed saying, as Sora's grin faded quickly, and he and Riku exchanged worried glances. Riku stepped forward, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper, with a green mouse-shaped insignia pressed into it. He looked at the paper, seeming to choose his words carefully, and then spoke: "We know, Kairi. And we know who Sam is, too. Maybe more than he does."

--

OOO!! Ending on a cliffhanger! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter. In case you didn't know, I've edited the prologue heavily, for the simple reason that I believe I had to in order to tell this story right. So please, go back and re-read the prologue, and let me know what you think in your review!

Now, I'm hoping to get the next part up sooner than this one. This one had some…creative difficulties involved.

Till next time!


	4. Chapter Three: Reroute to Remain, Part 2

Disclaimer time! I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or anything owned by the owners thereof. I also don't own the song Reroute to Remain, by In Flames.

I do own the characters of Sam and Matt, as well as the story of this adventure.

--

Riku stood in front of Kairi and I, holding a folded piece of paper in front of him. Sora stood behind him, a grim expression on his normally smiling face. Kairi and I looked back and forth between Riku and each other, unsure if we had heard him correctly.

I spoke up first, after a moment's hesitation. "You know me? Better than I do? What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Riku looked at me, his eyes seeming to examine me yet again. He stepped close, walking a circle around me, as if he was searching me for any flaw I might have. Needless to say, I was a little uncomfortable. Finally, he responded.

"It's supposed to mean that we knew you were coming, just as we knew the Heartless weren't finished. We knew you were coming, we know where you're from, and we know why you're here, instead of any of a thousand other worlds. My guess is, that's the part you're probably not aware of."

Riku then turned to Kairi, his voice and expression noticeably less fierce. "You remember the King's letter? He told Sora and I to keep an eye on things. He told us because we knew what to look for. So we watched, and we waited. Then, about a month ago, _stars started going out._ It started slowly, but it's speeding up now, more than ever."

Riku walked back over to Sora, looking him in the eye and giving him a nod. Sora nodded back, reaching into his pockets. He dug out a second piece of paper, noticeably less aged than the one Riku held. He then looked to both of us, visibly less confident than Riku had been.

"Well, about two weeks ago, we got another letter. Riku and I did, anyway. The king told us to keep it to ourselves for a while, and gave us some signs to look for. Well, the first of those happened last night, when a blue star went out."

I grimaced, recognizing what that blue star had been, and how close I'd come to going with it.

Sora then continued, "The thing is, it didn't go out like the other stars. About 15 minutes later, there was a shooting star from where the blue star had been. It came down near this island. That was the sign we were looking for. Then, this morning, Kairi came out here, and Riku and I decided to wait before following her."

I nodded through most of this, stopping at a certain point. I took a moment to gather my thoughts, then spoke: "You said that the shooting star came down near the island? You don't mean that I…"

Riku and Sora both nodded their heads, confirming what I had thought. I looked to Kairi, and was surprised to see her nodding slightly as well. She noticed, and explained that she had seen the shooting star from her room window the night before, and had come out that morning to try and find it.

When she arrived at the island and saw a person washed up on the beach, she didn't put the two events together, but now that it had been explained, it made sense. "After all," she said, "stranger things have happened, especially to the three of us."

I stared blankly at each of them for a moment, struggling to wrap my head around it all. Not only had I survived travel through space without any protection at all, I had also managed to _sleep_ through entering a planet's atmosphere. Then, that planet happened to be the world of Destiny Islands, where I now learned that Mickey Mouse, of all people…animals…whatever, knew that I was coming.

I found myself walking back to the edge of the small island, looking at the sunlight reflected on the water. _Oh, and let's not forget, you've got a crush on KAIRI! Great going, guy! _  
I chuckled as I thought that, then took a few deep breaths to try and clear my head (and slow down my heart after thinking about Kairi again). I turned then, and directed my next question at Riku.

"Alright. So what now? I mean, the signs you've waited for happened, right? You know the Heartless are back. What's the letter say to do next?"

Riku took a few steps in my direction, putting the four of us in a circle. He looked around, fixing his eyes on mine as he answered. "We go to the castle, and you and the King have a heart-to-heart. Apparently, you're supposed to know something the rest of us couldn't know. Something that could end the Heartless, once and for all. That's why you're here."

I stared at Riku, dumbfounded. However strange things had been, they had just gotten stranger, by far.

"Seriously. You say you know me better than I know myself, but you expect me to know how to stop the Heartless? Something even you guys couldn't do? Who do you think I am? I'm from Podunk, Wisconsin. My hobbies? Eating cheese. I mean, the biggest thing that's happened to my home since I was _born_ was when we got a Super Wal-Mart! Explain to me how any of that translates into _saving reality?!"_

Riku simply shook his head. "I don't know, and I don't need to. That's for you and the King to figure out. Now, Sora, Kairi and I are going to back home. Sora and I will be back here tomorrow. We leave at dawn."

With that, Riku walked away. Sora took a moment to look at me, his expression telling me that he knew where I was coming from. Somehow, that didn't surprise me, and I have to admit, it was a little comforting to know that he had once felt as out of place as I did now. He then followed Riku, and walked off.

That left Kairi and I standing on the small island. Frustrated, I proceeded to try and take it out on the paopu tree. It turns out, though, that paopu trees are much more solid than the average human foot. Limping my way over to the edge of the island, I sat down, with my legs over the edge. Kairi walked over a moment later, after trying, and failing, to hide her laughter at my injured foot.

A few awkward minutes of silence later, I somehow mustered up the courage to speak to her. "So, what does this mean for you?"

She turned her head to look at me, her eyebrows furrowed in an expression of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Sora and Riku are leaving. Sounds to me like they don't expect you to come with. So I'll ask again: What does this mean for you?"

Kairi looked out across the water, answering almost immediately, "Oh, I'm coming with. They just don't know it yet."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "They don't know it yet? You know, they probably just think you'd be safer here. After all, it's not like you can–"

"Can what? Protect myself? Fight? They know better. At least, they should. After all, they gave me this." Kairi held out her hand, and there was bright flash of light. I covered my eyes, and when I brought my hand down again, I saw what she had been referring to.

In Kairi's hands was a Keyblade, one I had seen only once, but recognized immediately for that same fact. The grip itself was plain and black, but that was where the plainness ended. The guard was some sort of bronze-colored metal, stylized into a wave on one side, with a paopu fruit keychain attached where the grip emerged from it. A slim, read-and-gold shaft went out from the guard, a single vine wrapped around it. The end of the Keyblade was covered in leaves and flowers.

I recognized the Keyblade from playing Kingdom Hearts II, in the scene where Riku, trapped in the form of Xehanort's Heartless, gives it to Kairi. Kairi then proceeds to wade effortlessly into a crowd of Shadows, slaying two of them with single strikes before the cutscene ends. Just in case you didn't know.

Once I stopped admiring the Keyblade, I looked up to see Kairi giving me an odd look.

"What? For a minute there, you looked like you recognized…but you couldn't, could you? You weren't there. You haven't met any of us before today. At least, we haven't met you. So how…how could you recognize this Keyblade?"

I looked down, blushing again. She'd caught me, and now she wanted answers. Answers I knew, but didn't think I could give. I stared down at the water, struggling to find words. Finally, I spoke: "I…I can't tell you. You…wouldn't understand."

I could feel her eyes on me, waiting for me to say more. I felt a deep ache in my chest, as though keeping things from her dealt me physical pain. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I saw another bright flash as she dismissed the Keyblade. I closed my eyes. Eventually, I heard her feet going through the sand and across the bridge. She left without a word.

--

I placed my hands on the railing of the ship, which had somehow been built into the island itself. Looking out, my eyes followed a ribbon of gold across the water to the soon-to-be-setting sun. It had been a few hours since Kairi went back to the main island, and I hadn't seen anyone else since.

I had watched her boat slowly diminish in size, until I could no longer distinguish her small rowboat from any of the larger fishing boats around the coastal town. Then, in an effort to deny myself the chance to wallow in self-pity, I explored the island, seeing with my own eyes what had before only been witnessed on a 13-inch screen at home.

Now, as the day neared its end, there was only one place on the island that I hadn't explored. I'd come close, standing near the entrance while the nearby waterfall sprayed cold mist on my back, but decided to wait until I had seen everything else.

I remember gathering up the courage to step inside, and then kept going until I was well inside the cavern. I looked around, remembering almost all of the drawings, save those which had been added by the trio since returning.

I kneeled down in one corner of the cave, looking at a familiar drawing. In the first game, Sora had drawn a picture of himself giving a paopu to Kairi. Then, at the end of the game, she had drawn herself returning the act. However, apparently since Riku's return, another addition had been made: Riku, Kairi, and Sora now appeared to all be sharing paopu fruit with each other. That simple addition of Riku into the picture…it took away the romantic message of the drawing, made it into what I had always sensed was more the case.

Sora and Kairi weren't devoted to each other as lovers.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi were devoted to each other as friends.

I stood, smiling as I turned to leave. For some reason, part of me seemed relieved. Now, with that inexplicable weight lifted from my shoulders, I planned to enjoy a tropical sunset from the beach. Unfortunately, as I walked towards the entry tunnel, I found my way blocked…by Matt.

He and I stared at each other for a moment, each of us seemingly unsure whether the other was real or not. I held up a hand, reaching out, expecting it to pass right through his shoulder.

Instead, as soon as I made contact, I was pulled into a bear hug, and we both began to laugh. I swear, our laughter must have echoed out of that cavern for nearly 10 minutes. Finally, however, we managed to calm down enough to speak. He stood in the entryway, where he had been, while I paced excitedly around the cave.

"My god! You're alive! Man, when you walked into the Center like that, I thought you were crazy! But then…my god!" I walked up to him suddenly, gripping his shoulders as I shook him lightly. "It's real! It's all real! I've even seen a Keyblade! My god, it's real!"

I went on like this, my train of thought going in circles for minutes, while Matt stood there, smiling almost sadly. Eventually, I wore myself out, and sat, panting, against the door behind which the heart of the world lay. Matt, on the other hand, remained standing in nearly the same place he'd started in. For the first time, I noticed his sword leaning against the wall nearby. Something about it gave me chills. I looked up at him, a question begging to be asked.

"Wait…how are you here? I mean, we went in opposite directions, so there's no way you could have…no…no, no, no! You don't mean…"

Matt stepped forward, shedding light from the hole in the cave's ceiling on himself. For the first time, I noticed the black lines tracing down his arms, up his neck, across his face…it seemed as though they were holding him together. The rest of him looked pale, far more so than he should have. Matt cleared his throat, kneeling down so we were on the same level.

"I'm no Heartless, Sam. But I'm not a Nobody, either. I think I was both, at least for a little while. But this sword…it put me back together. Now, I exist to serve its will, and to use my power to finally bring an end to this."

I tried backing away, quickly realizing that I had sat down with my back against a wall. Matt noticed this, and chuckled a bit. He stood, and held out his hand towards the sword. As I watched, the sword floated up, and went to his open hand. He closed his grip, and as he did, the skull's eyes on the guard began to glow red.

He looked down at me, smiling madly. He stepped closer as he spoke. "Right now, however, it's telling me to kill _you_. It won't tell me why, but I can tell it somehow sees you as a threat. But…I don't want to."

He took a knee, his face inches from mine. I noticed his irises were now a pure black, contrasting his stark white pupils. His teeth, I realized to my horror, seemed to have become those of a carnivore, far sharper than those of any human.

"You're my friend, Sam. At least, you were. But somehow, you survived unscathed, while I had to lose my humanity in order to survive. In the name of our friendship, I'll spare you this once. But never again. After this, the sword gets its wish, and you are dead to me."

Matt chuckled then, his sharpened teeth gleaming in the light. He stood, and slowly walked back into the darkness, his laughter growing louder. There was a sudden rush of wind, and the light from all around me seemed to go out for a moment. When the light returned, I was all alone in the cave.

I stood slowly, looking around to make sure Matt hadn't left any surprises behind. Finally, feeling that I was still being watched, I ran out of the cave, not looking back.

--

I wound up sleeping outside, my hands tightly gripping what was left of my sword. Somehow, holding it made me feel less…tainted, after what had happened in the cave. My mind, apparently unable to decide whether to dream of Kairi or have nightmares about Matt and what he had become, decided to take the easy way out: It was, thankfully, a dreamless sleep.

When I woke, I found a thin blanket thrown over me, weighed down at the edges with rocks to keep it from blowing away. I sat up, looking for the blanket's source, and saw Kairi sitting a short distance away, leaning against a tree and facing the slowly lightening sky. I stood and gathered up the blanket, slipping the grip of my sword back into my pocket.

Walking over to her, finding her asleep against the tree. As I watched, a cool breeze came across the island, moving her hair gently and causing her to shiver. Almost without thought, I draped the blanket over it's owner, watching as she relaxed. I smiled slightly, walking down to the beach. The sun was coming fast, and I thought I could already see Riku and Sora in their boat, coming across the water. They seemed to be moving faster than a rowboat, but I didn't think too much of it.

I heard sand shift behind me, and turned to see Kairi standing there. She looked at me, smiling slightly. I raised a hand in an awkward wave, realized how awkward it looked, then somehow managed to look even _more_ awkward while slowly and jerkily putting my hand down. I blushed, and was rewarded by the beautiful sound of her laughter. I smiled slightly at that, and was about to walk over and apologize when a strange noise caught both our attention.

We looked in the direction of the sound, and watched as Riku and Sora somehow managed to bring their boat, which was the source of the noise, directly up onto the beach, kicking up a cloud of sand. Kairi and I both covered our eyes, and when I finally brought my hand back down, I realized what had happened.

What I had thought was a boat was, in fact, a small ship, patterned in bright colors, with the visible appearance of slightly reflective plastic. After a moment of looking over it, however, I put two and two together: this was the Gummi Ship. Or at least, _a_ Gummi Ship. It seemed the Highwind had either been redesigned since I'd seen it last, or an entirely new ship had been built. Looking closer, I realized the second was true, as the name on the side of the craft read 'EXCALIBUR' in large letters. I smiled, remembering the choices if you beat Riku for naming rights to the raft in the first game.

Riku stood up from the passenger seat, taking charge immediately. "Alright. Sam, get in. Kairi, go home. You're not coming."

I looked at Kairi as I stepped closer to the ship. She smiled sweetly, but at the same time gave a look that seemed to make Riku shrink ever-so-slightly. She strode past me and climbed in. Trying one last time to stop her, Riku stood in front of her, blocking her from going any further.

Kairi looked up at him. "Are you really going to stop me, Riku?" I watched his expression become less and less confident as she seemingly eroded him with her eyes. I remember hoping that I would never be on the receiving end of whatever look she was giving him, while simultaneously admiring the strength she hid beneath her beauty.

Finally, Riku sighed and sat back in the passenger seat. Kairi took her seat, and then I took mine. I looked at her, noting the triumphant grin she wore, and finding myself grinning as well. I looked out of the ship, noting that somehow, we'd left the world behind without any detectable movement. I let my eyes wander the stars that stretched as far as the eye could see.

And sadly, as I watched, I saw a few more go out.

--

Wow. Officially my longest chapter so far. Hope it's not too long. Also gonna try and keep chapters around this length, at the most.

So yeah, like always, R+R, and keep coming back. I feel like the story's where it needs to be, and I feel like I can't get it out fast enough.

PS: If you care, Matt stands about 6'1", with naturally brown hair. Since the aftermath of Chapter 2, however, his hair is black.  
Matt's sword is based off of Morthoseth, a sword designed by Kit Rae. I own the rights to neither.  
If you'd like to know what it looks like, here you go: www.bladesofsteel.dk/shopimages/42/3143small.jpg


	5. Chapter Four: Delirium Trigger

Disclaimer time, yet again. I don't own Kingdom Hearts or the Dark Tower Series. I also don't own the song Delirium Trigger, by Coheed and Cambria.

I do own Sam, and his adventure.

--

_You feel my hand on your shoulder, gently guiding you away. I assure you we will return soon. After all, this is the story I told you I'd tell, and I plan to. _

_I hold us back, and the Gummi Ship flies past us, soon out of sight entirely. I look at you, my hands in my pockets. I look around, and the scene around us shifts, time and again. Worlds fly past us, large and small, exotic and mundane. Finally, however, the changes slow down, more and more, until the sight before us is constant._

_We stand at the crest of a large hill, overlooking a large, bowl-shaped valley. Starting a few feet away from us begins a field of wild roses, which covers the entire valley. The roses grow thick, nearly too close together for us to see the ground beneath. However, around the valley, there are breaks in the roses, breaks where wide paths trail towards the center of the valley, which happens to be the center of all._

_In the middle of this beautiful valley, seemingly standing guard over the roses, stands the Dark Tower. From our view, it stands roughly 200 feet tall, made out of charcoal-colored stone. At it's base, facing what may as well be north, is a great, towering door. Starting about 20 feet up the Tower's walls are two spiraling rows of windows, trailing a swirling path up the Tower. Finally, at the top, the Tower terminates in a crenellated platform. However, above this platform, we see some of the truth of what the Tower is._

_High above the Tower's visible end, the clouds in the sky swirl together, gathering in a single, immense column, which seems to continue upwards, without end. Within this massive column of clouds, you can see window-like indentations, as though the Tower we can see is only a small part of a much more massive whole. This is true._

_I turn to you. "It is important that you see the Dark Tower. You will soon learn what it is, or at least what I understand it to be. Perhaps then, this will make sense. Perhaps not. But you have seen it. And that, in itself, is important."_

_I place my hands on your shoulders then, closing my eyes. The world we stand upon drops out from under us, shooting downwards. We travel along the cloud column, but the world and the column fade away before we can see what becomes of it beyond the atmosphere._

_--_

I brought myself out of my daydreams, looking around the cabin of the Gummi Ship. Kairi, Riku, and Sora were all awake, and looking forward. I followed their example, and saw our destination ahead. There, its proportions just as visibly impossible as in the game, was Disney Castle. I couldn't help but smile as I recognized it. After all, within it lived many of my childhood's most recognizable characters. Among them, the one who had requested a meeting with _me_, was the King of Disney Castle: Mickey Mouse.

I was shaken out of my nostalgia by Kairi's hand on my shoulder. I looked over to her, still smiling at the memories of my younger years. After a moment, she smiled back, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

I realized then that there was no denying it: I had fallen for Kairi, and I had fallen hard.

Unfortunately, when I turned and saw the looks that Riku and Sora were giving me, I realized that some falls might hurt more than others.

--

I looked up, trying to guess just how high the ceiling in the throne room actually went. I stopped guessing after I started considering 'a whole hell of a long way' a reasonable estimate. I brought my eyes back down, and jogged to catch up to my three companions.

A few minutes later, we finally approached the throne. I gulped, wondering whether kneeling would be the appropriate action to take. However, my worries were pointless, as both Sora and Riku were literally _jumped upon_ by Donald, Goofy, and Mickey. The five exchanged greetings, the three residents of the castle giving Kairi slightly less…informal greetings.

Then, their attention turned to me. Donald and Goofy stood together, standing back a ways as the King stepped close. However ridiculous I once thought him to be as an authority figure, there was no denying that Mickey Mouse was deserving of his royal status. He stood in front of me, his small height doing nothing to lessen his presence as he seemed to judge me with his eyes.

And then, he took a knee. Donald and Goofy followed suit, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi simply watched. I knelt down, bringing myself to the King's level. "Excuse me, your Highness, but you don't need to kneel before me. With all respect, sir, it should be the other way around."

King Mickey looked me in the eye, then replied, "One as important as yourself should _never_ kneel before someone else. You may not realize it, but you are the key to ending this, Sam."

He stood then, as did I. I held out my hand, and he took it. Somehow, shaking the hand of a humanoid mouse wasn't as strange as I'd always thought it would be.

--

A few hours later, I found myself on a balcony, overlooking a fantastic view of the grounds around Disney Castle. The King had thrown a feast in our honor, and the food had been more than spectacular. By the time the meal was over, everyone was happy, full, and drowsy. Finally, after everyone else had left to their rooms, only Mickey and I remained. He then invited me up to his study, from which I had walked onto this balcony. I still had no idea how I was supposed to be the person everyone seemed to think I was, but...I was, for the moment at least, content to stop protesting.

King Mickey walked up and stood next to me, sharing the view. He cleared his throat, a sound made almost cute by his voice."Have you been told why you're here?"

I looked down at him, replying, "Only that you think that I know how to stop the Heartless, forever."

He nodded, crossing his arms and leading me back into the study. I followed. "You sound skeptical. I can't say I blame you, either. By your own admission, you come from a background that wouldn't lead one to assume that you could do something so important. But I know better, and I think that deep down, you do too."

He walked to his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out an old, leather bound book. He opened it, and flipped to a marked page. He handed it to me, pointing to the passage in question. "And here's how I know. Let's see if it changes your mind any."

_'Should Gaia fall, her Son shall rise, to cleanse the realms of light.  
And fear shall fill their darkened hearts, for he shall end the fight._

_Until he learns what he must be, unlikely he will seem.  
But he will grow, and learn, as they all move along the Beam._

_As he goes on, he will find that he doth love the Sea.  
And one day, should he stay the course, returned, that love shall be._

_In the end, a friend remade shall rise to slay the Son.  
Yet the Son shall live, and lead the way to the crimson fields of none.'_

I set the book down carefully, reading the poem again and again, trying not to see the obvious implications. I turned to the King. "Who wrote this?"

He sat down across from me, closing the cover of the book. I read it, my eyes widening as I did. He spoke, saying, "This is one of the only written copies of the Legend of the Keyblade, copied by the hand of Ansem the Wise. It's accurately predicted everything that's happened since before Ansem gave it to me, including him giving me the book in the first place. And now, it's talking about you, Sam. You are the risen Son of Gaia."

--

That night, I lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling of my room. After dropping the 'Son of Gaia' bombshell, the King had let me go, hoping I'd be up for talking in the morning. The way I felt at that moment, however, I wouldn't want to talk about it until at least the end of this century.

_Son of Gaia? What do they think I am, a Messiah? _As soon as I thought that, however, I realized that it was pretty close to the truth. Frustrated, I tried to think about the rest of the poem, but only one verse stuck in my mind. _As he goes on, he will find that he doth love the Sea/And one day, should he stay the course, returned, that love shall be._

_Love the Sea? I REALLY hope that doesn't mean The Little Mermaid. I had enough of her after the minigames in Kingdom Hearts II. And what does it mean, 'should he stay the course'? Is there a chance I won't make it? Or worse...I could end up like Matt._

With that thought stuck in my head, I tried to go to sleep. I finally managed it, but my dreams would bring me no comfort.

--

The next morning, I enjoyed the use of my private shower, staying in far longer than necessary out of habit. When I finally finished (about the time I realized the shower would most likely never get cold), I got out, wrapped a towel around my waist, and walked out of the bathroom.

To see Kairi sitting on the bed.

Panicking and blushing every color possible, I ducked back inside the bathroom, hearing an embarrassed laugh come from the other room. I smiled slightly, unable to keep myself from doing so. Finally, I yelled out, "Good morning, I guess. Um...if you don't mind my asking, what are you doing in here?"

I heard Kairi move on the bed, and then she yelled back, "Good morning to you too. The boys sent me to come get you, figured we could all go get some breakfast. I didn't think I'd find you so underdressed, though. Didn't know towels were still in season."

I laughed at that. God bless her, the girl had a sense of humor. "Well, I'd like to fix that, if you don't mind. Would you mind waiting outside?"

I heard Kairi get off the bed and move towards the door. "No problem. Just try and keep it quick, alright? You should never keep a lady waiting."

I laughed again, coming out and getting dressed after she left. A few minutes later, I walked out, my hair air-drying what I couldn't get with the towel. Kairi was standing across the hall, wearing a blue and green version of her usual outift. She looked up as I walked out in jeans and a grey t-shirt, and returned the small wave I gave. I managed a "Hey" as a greeting, which she returned. I smiled for a moment, then started walking, speaking as I did.

"Look, about the other day, on the island..."  
"Oh, that? Don't worry about it. It's not big deal, really."  
"No, it kinda is. I owe you an explanation, and you'll get one. The short one is that yes, I recognized your Keyblade. I could tell you how you got it, too."  
She raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh really?"  
I smiled, looking straight at her as I said, "In Organization XIII's castle, you and Riku were trying to get to Sora. When you found him, he was fighting Heartless, and Riku gave you a Keyblade. You took it, and then you said, 'This time,'"  
"'I'll fight.'" She finished for me, her eyes wide. She looked at me for a moment, her eyes asking me questions I wanted so badly to answer. Finally, she said, "So...if that's the short explanation, when do I get the long one?"

I looked back ahead, at the end of the hall, where I could see another table filled with food. My stomach rumbled, causing both of us to laugh. I answered, "Can't say. I'll know when it's time, I guess. For now, though, what do you say we go get some breakfast?"

Kairi smiled, then laughed as her stomach rumbled loud enough for us both to hear. She looked at me, nodding and smiling as she spoke. "I think I'd like that."

As we walked to the table together, I tried to hide my smile. And then I remembered something, a bit of trivia I had once read. In Japanese, Kairi's name…meant Sea.

--


	6. Chapter Five: Calling My Name

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, Morthoseth, or the song Calling My Name, by Dragonland.

I do own Sam, Matt, and the story of their adventure.

--

I leaned on the balcony outside Mickey's study, giving him a minute to wrap his mind around what he'd been told. See, I'd figured out what the passage meant, but...in order for him to understand how I figured it out, he had to understand how I knew in the first place.

So, I'd told him everything. About what Kingdom Hearts was in my world, and how I knew him even before the game came out. He was a little skeptical, so I gave him proof. I had described to him the plot of Kingdom Hearts II, and then I'd come out to the balcony. Finally, though, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, and there he was, looking as serious as ever.

"So, what does all this have to do with the poem?"

"The passages about 'moving along the Beam' and 'the crimson fields of none' are references to a series of books in my world, called The Dark Tower Series. The books revolve around a group of people journeying to the center of all reality, the Dark Tower."

"How are they references? I mean, I don't see how they're connected in the first place."

"That's why you needed me, Your Highness. To make sense of it. Now, the Dark Tower itself is surrounded by a field called the Can Ka No Rey, which translates roughly to 'the red fields of none'. That's a pretty solid connection there. What makes it definite, though, is the reference to the Beam."

I walked back into the study, grabbing a pen and paper and setting them down on the King's desk. I waved him over, remembering Roland showing Eddie and Susannah what I was about to show King Mickey.

I started by drawing a circle on the paper. Then, I drew twelve X's around the outside, like the numbers on a clock. I turned to Mickey, showing him the paper. "Now, this is how the world exists in the books. The circle is the world itself, and the X's are twelve portals, positioned around it's edge. Now, each of these portals lies along a natural path of energy, called a Beam. If you were to draw the Beams on this..."

I set the paper back down, drawing six lines, connecting the portals. I lifted the paper again, tapping the center of the circle, where the lines crossed. "Now that point, where the Beams cross? There lies the Great Portal, the so-called Thirteenth Gate, which rules all space and all time. There lies the Dark Tower."

Mickey took the paper carefully, examining the crude drawing. He stared at it for a moment, as if trying to picture it as something so...monumental. Eventually, he looked up at me. "So, what makes you sure this even exists? After all, isn't it just something in a book?"

I smiled. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, where I'm from, everything I've been through in the last few days is just something from a children's game."

--

Later that day, we had lunch, our last meal before we left. After the meal, Mickey laid out the plan we'd come up with. As soon as we were ready to leave, we'd head to Radiant Garden to talk with Cid. The Gummi Ship was great for short jumps between worlds, but we needed to be sure that it could handle a longer trip.

As I requested, Mickey didn't mention anything about my world's knowledge of Kingdom Hearts or the Dark Tower. However, looking at Kairi, she seemed a little...skeptical. I guess she had a right to be, after our conversation before breakfast. I remember wishing that I could tell her everything, then. Something told me to wait, though, and whatever it was, I listened.

--

We left Disney Castle that afternoon, and flew straight to Radiant Garden. The trip itself was nothing worth remembering, and we landed safely a few hours later. We found Cid pretty quickly, and after we told him about what we needed for the Gummi Ship, he was excited at the challenge. However, while Riku, Sora, and Kairi were nearly as engaged as Cid, Gummi Ships were always my least favorite part of the game, so I instead decided to go exploring.

About an hour later, I found myself on a small manmade plateau below the castle. I looked back towards the main part of town, as well as the large valley below. I found out pretty quick that the view was perfect for getting lost in my own thoughts. _So, let's recap. First off, the Heartless are real, and Earth is gone. I'm a prophesied Messiah, on my own quest for the Dark Tower. My best friend is worse than dead, and to top it all off, I've got a crush on Kairi. I think that's about it..._

I was brought out of my inner monologue by two things. The first was a sound like the air behind me was being sucked into itself. The second was the feeling of something sharp pressed against my back. I turned my head slowly, unsurprised to find Matt standing behind me. I cleared my throat, saying, "So, this is where you kill me, right?"

Matt smiled, his sharpened teeth just as disturbing in the daylight. "Soon. But we're going to have a little chat first. Now turn around." I did as he said, his sword still pointed at my heart. I looked at him nervously.

"Scared? Good. Now then, where are you sending them?"

I looked at him strangely. "Sending who? I don't know what you're-"

"Cut the act, Son of Gaia. Now, I'll ask again: Where are you sending them?"

"Man, did everyone know about that but me? Seriously, this is getting ridiculous."

Matt stepped closer, grabbing me by the shirt and pressing his blade against my throat. "Alright. You wanna play stupid? Fine. I guess I can cut the answer out of you. And then I'll go after your little girlfriend..."

I stopped the act. "What did you say?"

Matt grinned, his mouth wider than should have been possible. "You know, Kairi? I gotta say, I think you're aiming a little high, but it won't matter for too long. After I'm done with you, I'll be sure to take my time with her. And I plan to enjoy it."

I seem to remember feeling something inside me snap, and before I knew it, my feet were planted in Matt's chest, kicking out hard. He dropped me and stepped back, holding his chest and coughing slightly. I reached into my pocket, pulling out the handle of my Tai Chi sword. I held it out towards him, as though the blade was still there.

"If you ever lay a hand on her, I promise you, I will rip you apart."

He looked at me, and started laughing. "What, with that thing? What's it gonna do to me, eh? Give me a splinter? Ha!"

I leaped forward, running past him and slashing down towards his side as I did. I stopped behind him and turned around, to find him clutching his side, his sword on the ground. I looked down at my hand, and my heart began doing backflips.

The Keyblade I now held was long, about 3 feet from the handle, with the handle about a foot long itself. The keychain was a Yin-Yang symbol, and the guard was a half-black, half-white ellipse. The shaft of the Keyblade was made of two pieces, one black and one white, wound tightly around each other. The combined piece was straight until the last third of the blade, which hooked sharply. The inside of this hook held a large Yin-Yang symbol.

I took a moment to gawk at what I held, then looked back to Matt. He was standing, a gaping hole in his clothes, and his torso. As I watched, however, the hole repaired itself, seeming to fill with shadow before solidifying into unharmed skin. Matt turned to me, picking up his sword.

I expected him to go into a monologue about how he'd pay me back, but he apparently decided to demonstrate instead. He dashed at me, slashing forward as he did. I raised my Keyblade just in time, and the two weapons struck, clanging loudly. Matt straightened himself, standing behind his blade, pushing it against mine. I pushed back, but found myself sliding slowly backwards.

"You think you can stop me from killing you? You think a Keyblade's enough? What makes you think you stand a chance?"

I smiled. "Because, Matt. You don't face just _one_ Keyblade. You know better."

As if to prove my point, a bright flash behind Matt drew his attention. I looked around him to see Kairi standing there, her Keyblade leveled at Matt. I took the opportunity and pushed back, hard. Matt lost his balance and stumbled back, but regained his stance quickly. I pressed on, however, slashing at him again and again, putting him on the defensive. Finally, I had him against the wall, my Keyblade against his throat.

I glared at him. "Why are you doing this, Matt? What hold does the damn thing have over you?"

Matt spat back, "Morthoseth saved me, Sam. Unlike you, I didn't have a prophecy keeping me alive. I had to fight for it. Now, it's giving me a chance to undo all this. If I plunge all the worlds into darkness, Sam…it'll bring Earth back. We can go home!"

I shook my head. "It's lying to you, Matt. It's using you to destroy everything! Remember, when we saw that movie? 'You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.' You're going down a path you can't come back from, Matt."

Matt looked at me, seeming to think for a moment. He gasped in pain, seeming to grow paler. He then looked up at me, and smiled, his inhuman teeth too close to my face for comfort. He replied then, "Nice try, Son of Gaia. Matt still wants me to spare you, but I can't let that happen. One of us is going to die before this is over, and it won't be me."

I gave him a confused look, then gasped as I felt a sharp pain in my side. I coughed hard, trying to breathe, and fell backwards as Matt opened a portal and stepped through it. I dropped my Keyblade, and it disappeared before hitting the ground. As the portal closed behind Matt, I heard a voice, deeper than Matt's, saying, "My name is Morthoseth. You won't die yet, but that scar will be something to remember me by. Until next time, Son of Gaia."

I lay there for a moment, struggling to breathe, and feeling something warm and wet along my left arm, which was lying on the ground. My vision started to blur, and I coughed, feeling something wet come up in my throat as I did. I heard footsteps run up, then stop nearby.

The last thing I saw before passing out was Kairi kneeling over me, shaking me to try and keep me conscious. It didn't work.

--

I heard muffled voices, speaking a language I couldn't seem to understand. There were flashes of green light, and then the voices rose again, sounding concerned. I tried opening my eyes, and sitting up, but whoever owned those voices held me down. The voices became clearer, telling me to stay still and rest. I struggled for a moment more, then lay back down, and fell asleep.

When I woke up, I found myself in a bed in Merlin's house. I sat up, cringing as I felt a tugging at my side. I looked down at the left side left side of my chest, pulling the sheet down and revealing a long, jagged scar.

"You know, it took us almost three hours to keep you from dying? Turns out whatever cut you doesn't want us using too much magic to heal you. Every spell or potion we tried only stopped the bleeding enough to make us relax. Right now, you've got too many stitches to count, and I'd be careful about any sudden movements. Unless you want to die, that is."

I looked up, seeing Riku standing nearby, his hands in his pockets. He walked over, Sora walking in the door and joining us. Riku took a seat by the bed, pulling a chair over for Sora. He looked at me, some of the harshness in his eyes gone. "I think it's time we had a little talk, Sam."

I laughed. "What, get tired of glaring at me?"

"Look, if you're going to be an ass, I can keep on glaring. I just think it's time the three of us try and see eye-to-eye on a few things."

I looked at him, unsure whether I should trust him. However, I knew that if we were going to make it through all this, we'd need to trust each other. "Alright. What's there to talk about?"

Riku looked to Sora, and I noticed for the first time that Sora, easily one of the most talkative people in the games, had said spoken once when I could hear him since we'd met. Riku looked back to me, then spoke. "First and foremost, we heard about your Keyblade. As it is, I doubt you even know how to summon it. So, when you're healthy, you and Sora are going to do some one-on-one training. You need to know how to fight without getting another mark like the one you've got."

"Second, and more important...we need to talk about Kairi. See, a little over a year ago, when we came back to Destiny Islands, some things...happened. Sora expected one thing, while Kairi expected something quite a bit more...friendly. Lately, I've been the only reason they see each other."

"Now, I gotta admit, when I met you, I was sure that Mickey had made a mistake. You were quiet, lazy, and generally useless. But hearing what you did today...you went down protecting Kairi. You fell protecting another Keyblade wielder, and a Princess of Heart at that. That makes you one of us. So...no matter what happens with you and Kairi...I've got your back, and so does Sora."

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Riku and Sora looked back for a moment, then stood and started walking out. "Hey, wait! What do you mean, no matter what happens?"

Riku and Sora stopped. Riku opened his mouth to speak, but then Sora turned to face me. He smiled softly, almost sadly. "You know, if you're trying to hide the fact that you like her, you're not doing a very good job. And she looks at you in a way she never looked at me."

Sora walked back over to me, kneeling by the bed. He placed his hand on my shoulder, leaning close and looking me directly in the eye. Finally, he spoke. "Bottom line? If you ever hurt her, I'll find you, and hurt you back. But...if you can make her happy? Sam, if you can do that...I approve."

Sora looked at me for another moment, then smiled again, stood, and walked back to Riku. They looked at each other for a moment, then walked out.

I stared after them for a moment, confused. Eventually, I just lay my head back down, happy with the fact that they seemed to finally accept me as an equal, instead of a burden. Hopefully, I'd be able to live up to it.

--

I recovered from the blood loss fairly quickly, and was on my feet again the next day (thanks to a helping hand from Kairi; I would have jumped for joy if it hadn't opened my stitches). Merlin and Aerith, my impromptu doctors, told me there'd be no space travel until my scar healed. The same went for training with Sora. However, Merlin decided it wouldn't hurt to tutor me in a bit of magic, if I was interested. I took him up on the offer almost immediately.

After about a week of stretching, resting, and magic training, I was walking on my own, and my stitches were ready to come out. I was told I'd probably carry the scar for the rest of my life, so I suppose Matt lived up to his promise. I couldn't help but think of him, both how he once was and how he now existed, whenever I felt that tug at my left side. It scared me to see how close it came to my heart.

Finally, I was deemed healthy enough to begin training with Sora. He met me outside of Merlin's house, where we would have our first few training sessions. We decided to start with something basic: learning how to summon the Keyblade in the first place. Sora and I stood across from each other, about three or four feet apart. "Alright. First things first, you need to be able to call on your Keyblade, whenever, wherever. It'll come to you almost on its own when there's Heartless, Nobodies, or Keyholes nearby, but it's important to know how to do it under less...stressful conditions."

Sora held out his hand, and almost instantly, his Keyblade, Fenrir, appeared in a bright flash of light. He swung it a few times, then let go of the grip. As soon as it began to fall from his hand, it disappeared in another flash. "For Riku and me, it's almost effortless - we can do it without having to think about it. For Kairi, it's a little more difficult, because she's had hers for a much shorter time. My guess is, you'll get nothing the first few tries before you get it. Once you manage it the first time, though, it gets alot easier."

"So, easiest way I can explain it is to close your eyes and visualize the light in your heart. From there, you have to reach out and grab it, taking control of it. It's hard to do at first, but..."

I nodded while Sora explained, then did as he suggested. I closed my eyes, my hand open. I visualized the light, reached up my right hand, and closed my grip. As I did, I imagined that light flowing into my grasp, changing and shifting until it became the shape of the Keyblade as I remembered it. I could have almost sworn I felt something in my grasp...and then I opened my eyes, and saw that I wasn't imagining it. There, in my hand, was the Keyblade I had used against Matt. I lowered my arm, looking at Sora. He looked back at me for a moment, then gave me his trademark grin.

"Wow. First try. I guess I'm a better teacher than I thought!" Sora, still smiling, summoned his Keyblade and took a stance against me. "Well, you've got that down, let's see how you handle combat. In combat more than anything else, there is only one good way to learn: experience. So, let's have a quick one-on-one. First one to make contact wins."

I couldn't help but smile back at Sora, taking a stance of my own. We took each other's measure, and then he nodded, giving me the go-ahead to make the first move. My smile grew, thinking back to my lessons over the past week, and the two spells I'd found easiest to use. I held my left hand up, facing myself, and whispered the word, 'Haste'. As I did, the rest of the world seemed to slow down. I held my left hand out, then, running forward and yelling out, "Fire!" A small, softball-sized fireball flew from my hand, straight for Sora.

Sora blocked the flame with his Keyblade, leaving his side open for a quick strike. I took the chance, and found myself slashing at open air as Sora leaped away, dodging quickly. He landed a few feet away, then dashed forward, coming at me faster than I expected. He leaped over me, and I felt Fenrir tap against the small of my back. I heard him land behind me, and I turned to see him standing there, Fenrir over his shoulder. He was grinning, and I noticed the rest of the world start to speed up again. I laughed softly as I realized: While he was dodging my slash, Sora had cast Haste on himself.

"Not bad, for somebody who just started learning magic a week ago. That opening combination threw me off, but you lost when you threw all your weight into that one attack. Lesson One: Never give any one attack all you've got. It leaves you open for counterattacks, like the one I took against you." Sora dismissed Fenrir, walking over to me. He looked at my Keyblade, holding out his hand. I handed it to him, watching as he looked over every inch. Finally, he handed it back. "It's a strong one, for your first. Does it have a name?"

I looked down at it, thinking as I did. Finally, I looked up to Sora, replying, "It's called Karma."

--

By the end of that day, I'd faced Sora in more one-on-one sparring sessions than I cared to count, all leading up to my only victory of the day, when I wound up tripping him and tapping him as he fell. I was glad to accept that as a sign to call it a day, and Sora didn't object either. The four of us who held Keyblades had dinner, and then I decided to try exploring again. This time, however, I stayed a little closer to town. Now, I found myself sitting on a window ledge in the area Leon referred to as the 'Old Bailey', looking out towards the ruins of Maleficent's castle.

I waited for nearly an hour for Kairi to show up. I'd left a message with Riku, asking her to meet me here by sundown. As it happened, I showed up nearly and hour early, trying to organize my thoughts. I knew it wouldn't be easy, but…I knew it was the right thing to do. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned around to see Kairi walking up. The sun was setting just as she joined me on the ledge.

"So…Riku said you wanted to see me?" She looked over at me, smiling softly. I smiled back, my heart starting to race.

"Yeah…see, there's some things I've been thinking about lately. A lot of it is things you deserve to know, and there's something else that, honestly, I'm scared out of my mind to tell you."

"Hmm…alright. Here's what you do: Start with the one that scares you, so you can get it over with. Then, you won't be worrying about it during the rest, okay?"

I thought for a moment, then shook my head nervously. I looked at her, taking a deep breath to steady my nerves. "Okay. Here goes…Kairi,Ireallylikeyou,andIhopeyoulikemetoo,butI'mscaredtotellyouincaseyoudon't."

I caught my breath for a moment, avoiding her eyes. After a moment, I looked up slowly, trying to gauge her reaction. She was looking at me, her head cocked slightly. As I looked, she cracked a small smile, then began to laugh. Her laughter was contagious, and I soon found myself laughing along with her. We stopped together, and I moved from the ledge to the floor, my back against the wall. Kairi joined me, sitting closer to me than before. She looked at me, smiling, and blushing slightly. I'm pretty sure I was blushing more.

"Now, just so we're sure I understood you, you like me, but you were scared to tell me, because you thought I wouldn't like you, too?"

I nodded, biting my bottom lip as I did.

Kairi smiled, scooting a little closer to me. I felt something on my hand, and looked down to see her fingers intertwine with mine. I swear my heart stopped completely for a moment, then caught up what it had missed by beating double-time. She looked up at me, smiling sweetly.

"Well, if you ask me, I don't think you've got anything to worry about, Sam."

I smiled back at her, my heart leaping somersaults in my chest. If 'staying the course' meant that I could just see her smile every day, I knew I'd do whatever it took.

A few minutes later, Kairi looked up at me. "So? What's the stuff I deserve to know? We got the scary part out of the way, right?"

I nodded. "Hopefully, yes. Just, try and understand that I'm not lying about any of what I'm about to tell you, okay?"

Kairi nodded, squeezing my hand.

I swallowed nervously, then began. "Kairi…all the things I know about you, and the Keyblades, and Kingdom Hearts, and everything else? Well…in my world, Kingdom Hearts is a name that refers to a story. The story follows Sora, from the time that Destiny Islands was destroyed, up until he and Riku returned to the Islands."

"You are part of that story. That's how I know about your Keyblade, and how you got it. That's also why it took me so damn long to tell you how I felt. I was trying to get myself to believe that this wasn't all just a fantastic dream."

Kairi looked at me seriously. "That, and you were trying to believe I was real, or something, right?"

I looked down, nodding slowly. "Yeah…not proud of myself for it, but yeah…"

Kairi's hand left mine, and my heart sunk. I heard her stand, and looked up to see her looking out over the ledge. I stood slowly, standing next to her. I placed my hands on the ledge, looking down at the canyon below. I saw her move again, out of the corner of my eye, and turned to look.

Kairi stood, facing me, her hands on her hips. I looked at her, feeling guilty as hell for ever thinking she was anything less than real. I started to look down again, but found I couldn't, because of a pair of now-familiar hands that was holding my head still. I brought my eyes up, looking at Kairi, one eyebrow raised.

That was our first kiss.

I could try and describe it, but my words wouldn't do it justice. I did eventually manage to stop _being_ kissed, and return it. This seemed to lengthen the moment, and by the time we stopped, the sun had been down for nearly an hour, and the moon was rising quickly. I looked at her, smiling crazily while trying to catch my breath.

She smiled back, laughing at my breathlessness. I took her hand, pulling her into a hug. I could feel her heart pounding against my chest, and I knew she could feel mine. She hugged me back, whispering to me, "I hope that convinced you."

I laughed at that, picking her up and spinning her around, hearing her laugh again. I set her down, taking her hand. "You could say that."

We smiled at each other, and walked, hand in hand, out of the Bailey, and through the moonlit streets of Radiant Garden. We made our way back to the inn where the four of us were staying, and after a drawn-out goodnight, we finally made our way to our separate rooms.

I fell asleep that night with my head in the clouds and a smile on my face, and my dreams kept that smile there through the morning.

--

Alright. Here's Chapter 5, at long last. Please read+review, and tell me what you think.

Long days, pleasant nights, friends.


	7. Chapter 6: When The Lights Are Down

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or the song When The Lights Are Down, by Kamelot.

I do own Sam, Matt, and the story of this adventure.

--

We left Radiant Garden after another few days, just to make sure my wound had healed. In that time, Sora and I continued sparring, my skill with both the Keyblade and my magic increasing greatly. By the end of our sessions in Radiant Garden, Sora and I had become something resembling friends. Riku was still distant, but things were better on that front. Apparently, helping Sora re-discover his social nature helped lessen the burden on Riku.

When I wasn't sparring with Sora or sharpening my magic skills with Merlin, Kairi and I…well, let's just say we didn't keep it a secret that we were together. Things didn't progress beyond the point we'd reached in the Old Bailey, but that was fine with both of us.

Finally, Aerith and Merlin gave me the go-ahead for space travel. We gathered the supplies we'd need, loading them into the newly-expanded Gummi Ship. It had crew quarters for each of us, as well as a fully-functioning and fully-stocked kitchen, recreation/training areas, and an expanded cockpit, which seemed to me more like the bridge of the Enterprise. We all said our goodbyes and boarded the ship, then set course for Twilight Town.

See, Twilight Town exists in an in-between realm, between light and darkness. There are very few worlds in that realm, which means fewer stars. Now, that means that there's less to get in the way of a view, especially if you're trying to find something that behaves like an optical illusion.

In other words, it was the perfect place to try and find a Beam.

--

The flight to Twilight Town was long and quiet, allowing us a lot of time to train, and a lot of time to rest. Sora and I kept up our sessions, and I soon had a string of victories under my belt that rivaled my earlier defeats. I chalked these victories up to my learning of a very important lesson: They fight dirty, so why shouldn't you?

I remember trying to talk to Riku a few times during the trip, quickly finding that with Sora more than willing to speak his mind again, Riku was content to fill the 'strong-but-silent' role. However, he was the first of us to speak when we saw Twilight Town, or more specifically, what was _around_ Twilight Town.

"What in the hell is that?"

'That' appeared to be a gigantic, black-purple hurricane, rotating rapidly around Twilight Town. Enormous flashes and bolts of lightning flashed throughout the storm, revealing massive structures within the clouds.

Sora leaned closer to the window. "Is that…a city?"

We maneuvered the Gummi Ship closer to the storm, trying to stay out of it, while flying towards Twilight Town. Then, another flash of lightning brought a bit more detail to the structures: Guns. Lots and lots of guns.

"Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"If this thing can go any faster, I'd do it. Now."

"Why? The only thing we have to worry about is that weird lighting."

"Not anymore, its not. That thing isn't a city. It's a world-sized siege engine."

Another flash, and the other three saw what I meant. Riku immediately began hitting buttons at the control panel, and the three of us who were standing felt our weight shift backwards as our speed increased. Not a moment too soon, either. As soon as we sped up, I felt, more than heard, several massive explosions behind us.

Riku must have felt them, because he yelled back to us, "We need to get down to the surface, guys. We don't stand a chance out here for long."

None of us objected. Riku gave us another burst of speed, and took us in as fast as he could. I looked back as we entered the atmosphere, and immediately wished I hadn't. Descending from the eyewall of the storm, to the planet's surface, were countless Darksides and Twilight Thorns.

I turned back towards the front of the ship, trying to forget what I had seen. I took Kairi's hand, gripping it tightly. I looked at her, my expression grim. She looked back at me, squeezing my hand just as tight.

Somehow, it was comforting to know that I wasn't the only one scared out of my mind.

--

We came in low and fast near Sunset Hill, noticing the hills around us were overrun with Heartless and Nobodies. I leaned forward, pulling myself into the co-pilot's seat. Riku looked below us as we skimmed over the land below. "Damn it! Where the hell am I supposed to land? We're gonna be surrounded no matter where we go!"

I looked around below, tapping Riku's shoulder and pointing out the one place that wasn't covered. Riku looked at me, his eyebrows raised. I smiled and nodded. He nodded back, looking ahead and bringing us down. I turned around in my seat, speaking to Kairi and Sora. "Hey guys? I'd hang on. We're about to become a part of the Twilight Town Rail System."

Just as I finished, there was a jolt as Riku brought the Gummi Ship onto the tracks. I heard the clicking of seatbelts behind us, just as we passed into the tunnel under Sunset Hill. I gripped the armrests of my chair tightly, my fingers crossed. This track had been the only one left alone, probably because it lead straight to Yen Sid's tower. I just hoped that the magic that kept it clear would go clear to the station.

--

I crouched at the front of the Gummi Ship, grimacing at the damage to the ship's armor. The tracks had stayed clear, and the magic seemed to spread to the interior of the station, as well. Unfortunately, Riku had overestimated the length of the track, and by the time he'd started to slow us down, the station itself was there to stop us. However, I had to hand it to him: however rough the landing had been, the only damage seemed to be to the outside of the ship.

I stood, walking back to the other three. I opened my hand, my Keyblade flashing into being, joining the other three already summoned. Kairi, Riku, and Sora looked to me. I nodded at them, turning towards the front entrance to the station. Just outside, we could see leagues of Shadows, Dusks, Creepers, Neoshadows, and more. They pressed themselves as close to the glass as they could, forming a wall of their own as they encountered Yen Sid's barrier.

The four of us stopped a few feet away from the doors, standing in a line. I looked to my left and my right. To my left, that end of the line, stood Riku. He looked out over the enemies before us, his eyes narrowed. As I watched, he began to glow with a shifting black-white aura. He made a look of concentration, and the aura focused around his open hand, forming black-and-white flames.

To my right stood Kairi, Radiant Destiny gripped tightly in her hand. She smiled at me confidently, and I raised an eyebrow, as if I was asking why. She understood, and held up a small charm bracelet. The charm flashed, and Stitch was immediately scurrying around her feet, his middle set of hands holding his guns. He noticed the enemies outside, and began laughing. I couldn't help but laugh along.

Down at the right end of the line stood Sora. He closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and jumped up with a yell. For an instant, a sphere formed around him, then shattered, revealing his Final Form. Ultima and Fenrir floated around him, moving as though they were as eager for battle as the rest of us.

I finally looked straight ahead, holding Karma out in front of me. I spun the Keyblade in my hand for a moment, then stopped it suddenly, taking the speed and momentum of the end of it and directing it into an upward slice. As I did, the Yin-Yang symbol at the end of the blade came loose, spinning rapidly. I held my left hand out toward it, calling out to it and directing it to hover at my left side, still spinning. I grinned as I cast Haste, the world around me seeming to slow down.

We all looked to one another, then stepped forward together. A moment later, there was a crash of glass as we broke our way out of the station.

--

_They never stood a chance against us._

_I don't remember too many details of the battle itself. I remember Stitch laughing the entire time, his blasters and his claws equally destructive. I remember Sora and Riku each slaying about the same as Kairi and I did together, with less effort. I remember felling Heartless and Nobodies by the dozens, my Haste+Fire (which had become Fira, thank-you-very-much) combo making things almost…easy. I remember Kairi, blasting foes away with a bright light from her Keyblade._

_And then, minutes or hours or days later…they stopped coming. By the time we slew the last of them in the plaza, we'd stopped caring about counting, because doing so made the odds against us too…depressing._

_And then…I remember the sound of clapping._

--

I had just caught the spinning disk of the Yin-Yang in Karma's curve when the clapping started. I looked around, seeing the other three just as confused. We came together, then looked up, at the Station Tower.

And there, standing on a ledge above the clock-face, was Matt. He was smiling, clapping just loud enough for us to hear. As we watched, he slowly stopped clapping, then took a step forward, falling rapidly towards the ground. However, about halfway down, he seemed to…fade away, leaving a faint smoky substance behind, which quickly disappeared.

"Well done, Keybladers. Well done. Especially you, Sam. You've come a long way in a very short time."

We all turned, finding Matt standing a few feet behind us. He cracked a wide smile, his teeth glinting in the light of the setting sun. We all assumed fighting stances, but before we could even put up a defense, he launched himself forward, grabbing me as he went. We flew backwards, me first, until he pinned me against the stone of the clocktower. Oddly, and somewhat disturbingly, he was standing on the vertical surface as though it was even ground. He planted his foot on my chest, holding me in place. He then crouched down, his grin becoming something much more…predatory.

When he spoke, it was Morthoseth's deep and horrifying voice that rumbled out of his mouth. "You know, this is the third opportunity I've had to kill you, and it's the third time Matt is trying to spare you. I don't appreciate what you're doing to him, Sam. You make him think he has a right to fight me, as if his shattered memory of a self matters any."

I struggled against the foot planted squarely on my chest. "What can I say? I have some very stubborn friends. That's not the kind of thing that fades easily, even with the hell you've put him through."

Morthoseth laughed, a sound that sent shivers down my spine. "Fool! Do you realize what I am?! Do you really think you can stop me? I am–"

Morthoseth was cut off by a pulse of light, fired from Kairi's Keyblade. It hit him square in the back, pushing that hungry-looking carnivore's mouth a little too close to my face. He stood straight, turning around to face the three on the ground. As I watched, the bloody crater in Matt's back formed by the blast filled with smoky shadows, which solidified into smooth, pale skin.

"You dare interrupt me? You think any of you can stop me? I am Darkness itself! I am the source of the Heartless! Their true creator! I have outlived _eons_ of Keyblade wielders, and Princesses, and insolent little brats who _think_ they can stop me! What makes you think you will be the last?"

I coughed beneath him, drawing his attention. "You know the answer to that. It's because none of those 'insolent little brats' has ever been the Son of Gaia. And now, that's all coming true, and you're scared."

Morthoseth removed his foot from my chest, planting his hands and feet on the wall around me. Somehow, he kept me pinned to the wall, even though he was no longer touching me.

"You put your faith in a prophecy? A fairy tale? Allow me to make a point, one that you need to get through your feeble-minded skull." Morthoseth grabbed me by the shoulders, his fingers digging into me as he threw me backwards. I flew out, falling towards the stone. Riku and Sora dove beneath me, softening my landing. Even with them there, though, the fall hurt like hell.

Morthoseth kneeled down next to us. He leaned down, whispering, "This is no game, boy. Those days are over. There's no level-ups. No save points. No continue screen. I'll let you live this time out of pity. But when you reach wherever it is that you're going…I'll be there. And then, we'll settle this."

I heard Kairi yell, then I heard the sound of metal hitting stone. Morthoseth had pulled another disappearing trick, the smoke dissipating rapidly. Sora, Riku and I untangled ourselves, standing slowly. Somehow, we all knew that the attack on Twilight Town had ended. Unfortunately, we also knew that Morthoseth had won that battle.

We four were the only living beings left in the world.

--

A few hours later, we sat in the Usual Spot in Twilight Town. I'd explained everything to Sora and Riku, and then told all three of them about Matt. We sat in silence for a few minutes, then Riku and Sora stood and left. Kairi looked at me, then ran after them. I buried my head in my hands, wishing things could just be easy for once.

I heard the curtain at the entrance move, and looked up to see Kairi come in. She walked over to where I sat in the corner of the room, pulling over a wooden crate that served as a chair.

After a few moments, I spoke. "So, how're they taking it?"

"Hm? Oh. I wouldn't worry about it. They were heading towards the station, so I'd guess they're gonna go fix the ship. Knowing them, they believe you, they just need some time to come to terms with it."

I nodded, but said nothing. Another few minutes passed, and I heard Kairi get off of her seat on the crate. She took a seat on the floor next to me, placing her head on my shoulder. I stretched out, my legs straightening, as I nonchalantly wrapped an arm around her. She smiled, leaning into me as I pulled her close.

"Very smooth. Where'd you come up with that one?"

I smiled. "Just talent, I suppose."

We lay there, her head resting against my chest. After a little while, I don't remember how long, Kairi spoke. "What's on your mind?"

I sighed. "I guess I'm just scared, Kairi. I'm scared that I'm leading all of us into a death trap…I'm scared that the Tower might not even exist…I'm scared that – what?"

Kairi was looking up at me, one of her eyebrows raised. She turned back, hugging my arm where it crossed her body. "You worry too much. Everything will be alright. You'll see."

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? What makes you so sure?"

"The legend, remember? _'And if he should stay the course, returned, that love shall be.'_ You've stayed the course so far, and…well, the second part's already happened. So, why can't the rest of the legend be the same way?"

I nodded, smiling as I hugged her tightly. Something about Kairi...she had a way of making my worries seem less…worrying.

Some time later, I asked her, "What do you think will happen after we finish this? With us, I mean?"

She was quiet for a moment, then, "The Heartless split the worlds apart. Without them, the worlds can be together, and so can we. That is, if it's okay with you."

I smiled, kissing the top of her head. "Is there any reason it wouldn't be?"

We stayed like that for a while longer, finally falling asleep in each other's arms.

I couldn't have been happier.

--

Well, there it is. Hopefully you guys are still reading. Reviews are no indication, but…

Anyway, Read+Review, and I'll see you all in the next one!


	8. Chapter 7: What A Good Boy

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or the song What A Good Boy, by Barenaked Ladies. Also, the character Luciendar in this chapter is a reference to the same story from which I based the character of Morthoseth. That story is owned by Kit Rae.

I do own Sam, Matt, and the story of this adventure.

--

I sighed, leaning back in the chair as the Gummi Ship's computer ran the search. I'd snuck out during the night, almost waking Kairi as I left. A part of me hurt just being apart from her, but I felt a little better know that Riku and Sora were there to protect her. Now, obviously, I was in the Gummi Ship, running a search for any mention of Morthoseth in the archives of Radiant Garden and Disney Castle.

The screen flashed, giving me a very short list of results. Clicking on the first, I was given a list of passages from the Legend of the Keyblade, all mentioning Morthoseth. Judging from their content, his claims were all accurate: he was, according to the legend, the creator of the Heartless. Without him, they wouldn't exist. He was also right about his longevity; he had, literally, outlived more than a dozen Keyblade Wielders, personally slaying nearly half of them.

I gulped. I'd figured there was some truth to what he'd said, but I didn't think it would _all_ be true. I had to admit; knowing that he had killed more Keybladers than I'd ever met sent a shill down my spine. Then I remembered my own words, my reply to him. I was the Son of Gaia. Fairy tale or not, that had to count for something, right?

Right?

--

I stood out on the plaza in front of the Station, leaning on the stone wall that surrounded it. I looked towards the soon-to-be rising sun, keeping my eyes open for…anything, really. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned, seeing Sora, Riku, and Kairi standing there, walking towards me. Without a word, they joined me at the wall, the four of us there, standing together as equals. Kairi stepped close, and I pulled her close, my arm around her waist. She smiled, returning the embrace. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and looked to see Riku and Sora rolling their eyes jokingly. I smiled at them, raising a certain finger in an equally joking gesture.

The sky brightened slowly. Around us, as if on cue, the streetlights in the city began winking out, one by one. By the time the first edge of the sun's disc emerged, the rest of the world had gone dark, as if it was just as anxious as we were to find the path.

I noticed it first, my heart skipping a beat when my eyes caught the way the sun's light seemed to lengthen in a particular stretch of sky. Following the direction of the light, I noticed the clouds all seemed to be pulled in that direction when they crossed its path. Raising a hand, I trailed my finger from the rising sun up along the path of the Beam. After a moment of confused searching, I heard Kairi gasp next to me. Sora and Riku were silent, but you could see the change in their posture as they saw it.

"Think you can follow it, Riku?"

Riku looked at me, then back up at the Beam, nodding slowly. "Shouldn't be a problem. That thing…it's huge! I don't know how we missed it before!"

I chuckled. "It's going in the direction we were when we arrived. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if we followed the damn thing _here_. Besides, that's the way it works. Hard to see it at first, but once you have, you can't _un-_see it."

They all nodded in agreement, and I could tell why. In that moment, we finally grasped the full reality of what we were planning to do. Somehow, seeing the Beam with our own eyes…it made a world without Heartless, a single unified world, and a world where we could all live in peace…it made it feel real. That reality took away any words we could use to describe it.

For once, silence was a good thing.

--

I lay back in my bed, watching the stars fly past through the window above my headboard. We'd been flying for several hours already, we'd decided to leave the ship on autopilot while we all grabbed some sleep. I looked out into space, letting my mind wander…letting my eyes drift shut…and then the dream began…

--

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing, a circle of stained glass beneath my feet. A bright white light illuminated the circle from below, showing that it was divided into five sections, the divisions formed by Keyblades. Going around the circle, I recognized Sora's Ultima Weapon, Riku's Way to Dawn, Kairi's Radiant Destiny, Mickey's Kingdom Key, and a fifth Keyblade, which I didn't recognize, but somehow knew to be my own.

At first glance, it appeared to be a white-and-gold version of Sora's Oblivion, but closer inspection revealed several small, yet important differences. The guard was made of a pair of angelic wings, instead of Oblivion's bat-like guard. The chain that ran down the center of the key was pure silver, and the individual links were, themselves, hearts. Parallel to the core body of the Keyblade, which was a solid piece, containing the chain, were two bars, made of a pearlescent metal. The barb at the end was a heavily stylized heart-shape, and the piece as a whole reminded me, strangely, of the stereotypical image of the 'Pearly Gates', the entrance to Heaven.

I crouched down, somewhat in awe of the Keyblade I somehow knew I would one day possess, then forced myself back up to examine the rest of the picture at my feet. In between the Keyblades were pictures of the five of us. Standing in the center and turning slowly, I noted Sora, then Kairi, then myself, Riku, and…no...

I stopped turning, staring blankly at the fifth section of the circle. Near Mickey's Kingdom Key, the Keyblade of the Realm of Darkness…stood Matt. Or at least, the picture of him in the stained glass beneath me was standing. His back was turned to the viewer, his head turned to give a profile view. However, this Matt was the one I knew, the one I'd grown up with. According to this, if Morthoseth hadn't interfered with Matt's life…

"He would have been the fifth Keyblade Wielder, yes." I turned, searching for the source of the voice, which had seemed to come from everywhere. Standing behind me and to my right, staring down at the image as I had been, stood a small child.

She couldn't have been more than 12 years old, at least from appearances. She stood no more than 5 feet tall, closer to four and a half. She was clothed in what appeared to be white pajamas, made up of loose pants and a button-up. Her long blond hair ran down her back, almost to her waist. She looked up at me, looking almost…sad. However, she managed to smile, only her eyes betraying her emotions. "You're a bit late, Son of Gaia. Most of the others were here at the beginning of their journeys, yet here you are, almost done with your own."

I looked at her, speechless. After a moment, she broke into quiet laughter, apparently at the look on my face. Finally, I broke my silence, asking, "Who are you?"

She stopped giggling, mimicking a curtsey. "Luciendar, at your service." She stood back up, holding out her hand. With a flash, Karma was in her hand, and she held it up effortlessly. "You know, I questioned the judgment of this one when it chose its form, but it would appear that I have been proven wrong." She opened her hand again, and Karma disappeared.

I looked at her, one eyebrow raised. According to the legends, Luciendar was Morthoseth's opposite, the Spirit of Light and Creator of the Keyblades. So, if this was really her, why..

"Why choose this form? I didn't. Your mind did. This is your dream, after all. I am here, and your mind chose this form to embody me. A part of you envisions me as a young child, most likely due to the perceived innocence this form gives. Not entirely accurate, but…I've had worse." She smiled. "Also, I am inside your mind, so that's how I know what you're thinking."

I closed my mouth. She'd just answered two of my questions, before I'd had the chance to ask. Suddenly, believing her wasn't so hard. Looking around, I realized what this dream was. "So…is this my Awakening?"

Luciendar smiled, and nodded. "In a manner of speaking, yes. You would have had it earlier, but I couldn't access your mind to 'Awaken' you until you truly accepted that this was all a possibility."

I nodded, her explanation making sense. I looked at her, all of my unanswered questions being asked at once. She smiled, motioned for me to follow her, and began to speak.

"First and foremost, you _are_ on the right path. The Beam will lead you to the Tower, and when you get there, you must climb to the top and use your Keyblades to seal the Final Keyhole. Once you have…well, the rest is up to you. I can't say much else, but…you'll see what I mean."

"Secondly, Morthoseth and I have existed since the Beginning. We began as equals, content with our stations and our duties. However, we soon became…bored. I made a challenge to him, a test of power that I now know was foolish of me to suggest. The terms of the challenge were simple: create embodiments of your power, and pit them against the other. I created the Keyblades, weapons to champion the light of existence. Morthoseth spawned the Heartless, corrupting the hearts of the people of the world.

In every battle, every engagement, my warriors emerged the victor. However, instead of abiding by the rules of the game, Morthoseth went mad, corrupting every living creature he could. He nearly destroyed the world, until only those whose hearts could contain no darkness remained. Through their tears, the worlds were restructured, and separated. However, Morthoseth never gave up. He continued his mad crusade, while the seven children who had rebuilt the world grew, their descendants carrying on their light, and becoming the Princesses of Heart.

Finally, in these last few decades, I made a decision, one that I knew would throw the whole balance into jeopardy. I would give one child the power to stop Morthoseth, but in doing so, I would expose Gaia, or Earth, to his power. You, Sam, are that child."

We walked over to the section of the stained glass where Matt was pictured. "However, I decided to give myself a little insurance. I put Mickey on the path to retrieve the Keyblade of the Realm of Darkness, while I placed the soul of its true wielder in a child on Earth. That child was Matt. He was to be your protector. However, Morthoseth took a page from my book, possessing a sword in Matt's collection. When Earth was lost, Morthoseth led Matt astray, making him into the creature he is now."

I looked up at Luciendar, one last question weighing heavily on my thoughts. "Is…is there any way to save him? Is there any way to stop Morthoseth and save Matt?"

Luciendar looked up to me, expressionless. Finally she looked down at the glass panel again, speaking softly. "The simple answer is 'yes'. You would have to lure Morthoseth into a physical form of his own, challenge him directly. If you were to beat him with a Keyblade in its truest form, you could, in theory, kill him."

I nodded slowly. "What's the catch? What about Matt?"

Luciendar shuffled her feet, almost looking nervous. "Well…without Morthoseth's energies holding him together…Matt will die. And it will be anything but painless."

That statement seemed to fill the air, make it heavy. The only way to save my best friend was to kill him. Matt would die, or I would. And if I died…I tried not to think of what would happen.

I fell into a sitting position on the glass, seated in the center of the artwork, on a heart framed by the keychains of the Keyblades. Luciendar walked over to me, her eyes shining with tears, it seemed. She kneeled in front of me, speaking barely above a whisper; "I'm sorry. It's the only way."

I nodded slowly, feeling a dull ache in my chest. After a seemingly endless silence, I looked up at her. "How do I wake up?"

Luciendar looked me in the eyes, then, without a word, reached out and touched a small finger to my forehead. My world disappeared in a flash of light, and I felt both relieved and saddened that it was over.

--

I bolted up in my bed, trying to catch my breath and realizing the sound coming out of my mouth much more resembled a sob. I reached up to my face, feeling my cheeks wet with tears. I tried for a few minutes to calm myself, but somehow, the tears kept coming, and the sobs grew louder. I fell back in my bed, clutching my pillow tightly.

I must have been louder than I thought, because I soon felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around me tightly, an all-too-welcome voice telling me it was alright. I turned around, holding Kairi tightly to myself as I cried out all of the pain I'd held in so far. In that instant, everything seemed to hit me at once. The fact that all my friends were dead or worse. The fact that my family faced the same odds. And mostly, the fact that my best friend had to die by my hand.

By the time sleep finally came to me again, I had no more tears to shed, and my sleep was mercifully dreamless.

--

I told everyone about the dream that morning. Told them everything I had learned, and how Morthoseth would have to be dealt with, and the consequences of his destruction. Aside from my explanation, not a word was said. They all seemed to know how I felt, or at least respect the pain it caused me. Kairi sat quietly by my side the entire time, her presence alone calming me immensely.

Then, about halfway through breakfast, an alarm rang through the ship, calling us to the cockpit. When we arrived, we found ourselves in the middle of a swirling mass of black-purple clouds. I looked to Riku, and he nodded, confirming what I'd thought.

The strange storm that had attacked Twilight Town had now found us. Riku gestured for us to take our seats, and we all obeyed, somehow feeling it important to remain quiet. Riku hit a few buttons on the control panel, turning off all the lights in the cockpit and, I imagine, around the entire ship. The engines powered down to barely noticeable vibration beneath our feet. We were running silent.

We watched as one wall of the massive storm began approaching us, as if it had remained stationary where we had last been seen. We passed into the storm itself, then, and what we saw sent shivers through us all.

With every break in the clouds, we could see massive groupings of Nobodies and Heartless, groups that each put the force we'd fought in Twilight Town to shame. Then, during one of those breaks, I saw something that made my blood run cold.

Standing with its back to us, surveying a massive army of creatures, stood a warped and twisted being, seeming to share features of a Darkside Heartless and a Twilight Thorn Nobody. After a moment, I realized why: the creature before us had been fused from both, much as Matt had been. However, while his fusion had resulted in something nearly resembling the original creature, the being we were seeing moved as if every moment caused it pain. Somehow, I doubt that's far from the truth.

Riku made a few adjustments to our trajectory, lowering us into the Beam itself. As soon as we were in, our speed picked up substantially, and we had soon left the storm. After a few minutes, we all decided it was safe, and Riku powered the ship's systems back up, putting the engines at full power. Combined with the flow of the Beam, we were soon going nearly twice as fast as we had been before.

I closed my eyes, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. We had escaped the storm, for now. We were all still alive.

And, as always, the Dark Tower grew closer.

--

Alright. I know this one's a bit shorter, but it's still over 6 pages in Word, which is a respectable length by my standards, especially considering my recent hiatus.

Anyway, please R+R, guys. I want to know what people think of this story. Tell me what you think of Luciendar, and Morthoseth, and the whole mess! Tell me what you think of the fact that Sora and Kairi aren't anything more than friends! Tell me what you think of Matt, and what seems to be his fate!

Seriously. Tell me anything. Reviews make writing this all worthwhile.


	9. Chapter 8: Don't Let The Sun Go Down

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or the song Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, by Sir Elton John.

I do own Sam, Matt, and the story of this adventure.

--

I was the first one to notice the stars growing dark. We had left the storm behind us several days ago, and when I pointed it out to the others, and we decided that it was a combination of the Beam and our own boredom playing tricks with our eyes. Then, when they actually started going out completely, we began thinking that maybe something was actually going on. Unfortunately, we had no idea what that 'something' was.

That is, until we heard the sound. It began softly, like the high-pitched noise that old television sets make whenever they're turned on. The kind of noise you only notice in complete silence, or because you're trying to. However, the sound quickly grew, sounding at first like small, high-pitched bells, chiming so quickly and chaotically it was almost painful.

As we kept going forward into the starless void, the noise grew yet more, becoming a droning whine, like a combination between mad bells and the keening buzz of cicadas in the summertime. We all looked at each other uneasily, the sound making us feel as if we were all chewing on tin foil.

Sometime during the attack on our ears, I began to think back to the Dark Tower Series, feeling as if all of this was strangely familiar. A movement outside the ship, caught through my peripheral vision, caused me to remember why. Standing from my seat, I walked up between Sora and Riku, crouching down between them.

"Guys…I think I know where we are. And it's not good."

Sora and Riku looked at each other, then back at me, their expressions visibly more grim. "What exactly do you mean, 'not good'?"

Then, I told them about Todash.

--

_Todash is many things. The phrase 'going todash' can mean many things, including 'to dream' or 'to travel'. If an item of some sort has been lost, it can be said to have 'gone todash'._

_However, in the sense that I explained to Riku and Sora then, only two meanings of todash mattered: 'Going todash', the process of traveling between two worlds, and the realm of Todash-space, which existed between all other realms as a sort of non-realm._

'_Going todash' as a method of travel between worlds has existed as long as the worlds themselves. It was first found out about during observation of dreaming psychics, who seemed to fade in and out of being, leaving only a pale shadow of themselves behind. This shadow served as a placeholder for the dreamer, ensuring that there would be a place for them in their own world when they returned. _

_As time progressed, a religion of sorts, the Manni, learned to 'go todash' intentionally, during their waking hours. I explained it to Sora and Riku that the Gummi Ship essentially allowed them to 'go todash' without dreaming or undergoing the training of the Manni-folk._

_Todash-space, the other important meaning, was the medium through which people traveled when going todash. It is a dangerous place, filled with creatures far beyond the understanding of men. Trying to comprehend these beings, trying to even do something as simple as see what they look like, is enough to drive a man insane._

_Unfortunately for us, we were currently traveling through Todash-space. And I could only hope that my eyes were only playing tricks on me._

_--_

Riku looked at me, his expression serious as he contemplated what I'd told him. "So, what exactly do we do?"

I sighed. "There's only one thing we can do. We keep going, as fast as we can, until we come out in the world of the Tower. The Beam's giving us a nice boost, but…if there's anything left that this ship can give us, I'd use it."

Riku nodded, turning back to the controls and pressing a few buttons. The ship shuddered, seeming to speed up for a moment, before the displays went dark. The lights in the cabin followed suit, the emergency lights kicking on after a few seconds. I cleared my throat. "Um...Riku?"

"I know. That…was not supposed to happen. And it didn't sound like engine problems."

I gulped, trying to swallow around the lump of fear that had somehow lodged itself in my throat. "Then…what exactly was it?"

I got my answer then, in the form of a loud _thump_ outside the ship. We all turned instinctively to try and find the source, and our eyes all followed the sound as multiple _thumps_ echoed around the ship, closer and closer to the cockpit. Then, remembering the insanity complication of Todash-space, I yelled out, "Everyone! Look away from the damn window!"

I turned, watching as Kairi did the same, and hoping Riku and Sora had followed our example. For our effort, we were greeted by a too-loud growl behind us, followed by an ear-piercing screech, vaguely reminiscent of the Todash-noise we'd had to endure for the last several hours. The screech continued for nearly a minute, then died down. Whatever had caused it growled again, then continued _thump_ing its way along the hull of the ship.

Without turning around, I whispered, "Sora? Riku? You two okay?" Riku cleared his throat, and Sora whispered back, "We're fine. Any idea what the hell that thing was?"

I shook my head. "No, but I think we're better off not knowing." As if to prove my point, the creature let out another screech, one that sounded a lot closer than the first, even though that one had been outside of the cockpit. It almost seemed to echo, as if it had come from…inside…

I turned back to the front of the ship, running up to Riku, who was already tapping away at the control panel. "I take it you heard it, too?" Riku nodded, replying, "I'd have to be deaf not to hear that thing, and stupid not to figure out where it was coming from."

Glancing from Riku's face to the controls, I noticed an awful lot of red flashing across the screen. "If you don't mind my asking…what's the plan?"

Riku pointed ahead, through the front of the cockpit. Following the direction of his point, I noticed a bright point of light in the distance. I gasped, recognizing it as the glow of a world. And there was only one world that existed in the middle of Todash-space. "That's…that's the Tower, isn't it?"

Riku shrugged his shoulders. "Hell if I know. You're the expert, remember? All I know is, that thing's in the ship, and we can't look at it without going insane. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather not fight something I can't see, especially in close quarters like this."

"So, the plan is, we separate the cockpit from the rest of the ship, activate the self-destruct in the engine core, and hope that the shockwave is enough to get us to that world." I opened my mouth to protest, ready to point out just how crazy the idea was, when I heard the cockpit door seal shut. Riku looked up at me. "If I was you, I'd buckle up."

Not in a position to argue, I walked back to my seat, buckling myself in and taking Kairi's hand. I looked at her, squeezing her hand gently. She squeezed back, smiling at me. As a result, my heart, which had previously been pounding in panic and a little bit of annoyance, decided it had more important things to do than worry.

Then, everything went silent. There was slight jolt as we jettisoned the engines, and then we were adrift. With all of the scanners mounted on the part of the ship we'd left behind, all the proximity alarms stopped. All was quiet, and unnervingly still.

And then the engine core went. In all honesty, I don't remember much of the minutes that followed, only brief flashes: the space around us spinning, flashing white as our rotation brought us to the face the explosion. In a moment of clarity and disappointment, I noticed that the world ahead of us, which had brought my heart a sense of calm before, was at the wrong angle. The blast had pushed us, yes, but…in the wrong direction. We weren't going to make it.

Then, the dizziness and nausea caused by the spinning, combined with the continual violent shaking of the cockpit, made my mind quit trying to keep me conscious. In what I believed to be my last moments of life, I looked to Kairi. Squeezing her hand to get her attention, I pulled her as close as our seatbelts would comfortably allow, and mouthed out three words to her. It took a moment for her to understand it, but then she smiled, her eyes welling up with tears. Squeezing my hand in return, she mouthed four words back.

And then, everything went black.

--

I know it's short, but…it's better than nothing, right? Anyways, same deal as always, R+R, and they'll keep coming. (Maybe…I'm hoping to be out of my funk, but you never know.)

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, this isn't the end. Not by a long shot.


	10. Chapter 9: Neverender

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or the song Neverender, by Coheed and Cambria.

I do own Sam, Matt, and the story of this adventure.

--

When I opened my eyes, I saw through the eyes of God. Before me was a star, a glorious, fiery sun. As I watched, the star grew smaller, and I saw a solar system surrounding it. Then the picture grew smaller, and more and more stars and systems became a part of it. After only a few seconds, or perhaps an eternity, an entire universe lay before me. A reality in my eyes, bordered in the rich red of roses. I did the only thing I felt appropriate to do: I watched, silently and awestruck, observing the existence before me.

However, as I focused upon the endless space before me, my other senses began to alert me of several things, things which had no place in a restful eternity. My ears alerted me to the sound of birdsong. A strange and wholly unfamiliar call, but it could be nothing else. My sense of smell brought me the scent of morning dew on fresh-cut grass. Soon, my sense of touch allowed me to notice a damp chill, as though I lay in a puddle. A cool breeze came along, and I shivered, realizing that I was lying on my side.

Blinking, I slowly sat up, finding myself at the bottom of a small hill, sitting waist-deep in grass that was a strange shade of purple. Strange, because it did not seem the slightest bit out of place. Looking down at the depression my head had made, I saw a rose. A single rose, its petals a soft pink at the outside, turning to a rich, deep red. In the center of this rose, I could have sworn I saw a yellow glow, like that of a small sun, or of a million small suns, glowing together from its depths.

A hand on my shoulder brought my attention back to the world around me, and I turned around, seeing Kairi, Riku, and Sora standing behind me. Riku was staring off to the horizon, talking quietly with Sora. Kairi's hand squeezed my shoulder gently. I stood, smiling, and took her hand in mine. We turned and walked towards the others, stepping from grass onto a once-paved road.

"Glad to see you're awake. Now, maybe you can tell us where the hell we are?" I smiled a bit at Riku's greeting. Somehow, after nearly dying, even his sarcasm cheered me up.

Looking around us, my smile grew. "We're here. This is Keystone Tower. The only world where one could actually _enter _the Dark Tower, and one of only two where time flows only forward. Whatever we do here, that's it. No take-backs. No do-overs."

Sora spoke up, seemingly for the first time in days. "Well, that's comforting. So, if we don't do this right, that's all there is, right?"

I nodded. Sora nodded back. "Alright. Just means we can't make any mistakes. Shouldn't be too hard." He turned to us, giving us all a glimpse of his trademark grin, something that had been seen all-too-little lately. We couldn't help but smile back. I reminded myself to thank him for that, later.

--

That night (I had awakened during mid-afternoon, and we'd covered a good distance since then down the path of the Beam), we made camp alongside the road, in the purple grass and the roses. We sat around a blue fire, caused by some chemical in the grass we'd used to start it, talking for what felt like hours. We talked about everything, telling each other every story we knew. Every joke, every stray thought. That night, we kept nothing from each other. I think, sometime during that seemingly endless night, something happened in each of us.

I recognized what it was during one of the few lulls in the conversation, but held my tongue for a time, wanting to be sure. By the time it was my turn to speak (somehow, we'd wound up taking turns…nothing arranged, just an automatic thing), I knew that what I was feeling was right.

"I think I just realized something…" I said, my voice distant as I gazed into the fire. At once, I could tell I had their attention. Something in each of them…the way Riku lowered his head, mimicking my look into the flames…the way Sora sat up, stopping his fidgeting…the way Kairi turned to look at me, her eyes skimming my face for some clue as to what I would say next.

"What are we, guys? To each other, I mean. What would you call us?" I asked, twirling a blade of purple grass between my fingers.

"We're Keyblade wielders. All of us. It's what we have in common." Sora offered, summoning his Ultima for emphasis. The act brought a smile to my face.

"We're friends. We'd do anything for each other, without needing to be asked." Riku answered calmly, his eyes flicking up to mine. My smile grew.

Kairi was quiet for a moment longer than the others, finally giving her answer in a whisper. "We're…we're more than that. More than Keybladers, more than friends…we're a sort of family, aren't we? Not by blood, but…stronger than that." She looked up to me, as though she was unsure of herself. I looked to her, my smile wider than ever.

"All of you are right. We're Keybladers, we're friends, we're family. But…even all of those words isn't enough, is it? It still feels like there's so much more to say, even if we don't have the words to say it." Looking around, I was greeted to the sight of the three of them, nodding in agreement. Kairi's hand crept into mine, and I squeezed it gently.

"There is a word in this world for what we are. A word from a language as old as the Tower, maybe older. In the language of this world, we are _ka-tet._ We are one from many. We come from different paths, different worlds, but…our destiny ties us together. Tonight is a gift, I think. From the Tower, perhaps. Tonight, we have shared _khef, _the water of life. We have given of ourselves to each other, and yet we would give more, if it was needed. That is _ka-tet._ That is what we are."

Silence, then. A soft breeze, rustling the grass and the roses. Finally, after a minute, Sora spoke up quietly. "But…we're not whole, are we? Most of us are here, but…it's not all of us. Someone's missing…"

I nodded. "Yeah…I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt that…I think Matt is meant to be here, with us. He's the last of our _ka-tet_, but…he can't be here. We are one from many, but we are not whole. Only _Ka _itself should break us apart…and it has not. If it had, we would not feel as we do now. No…this was the work of something else, something that believes itself above _Ka_. Above destiny."

I looked up to the sky above us, the fire beginning to die down. As I spoke, an unfamiliar edge found its way into my voice. It frightened me. "Tomorrow, or maybe the day after…we finish this. We save Matt…we save everything. And we teach Morthoseth a lesson about destiny. He has broken our _ka-tet_. Such an act…can only be met with vengeance."

I heard quiet words of agreement, spoken with grim conviction. I laid down, my hands crossed behind my head. "Tonight must now continue, I think. As time would normally allow. Our moment of timelessness, our palaver, is over. Tomorrow comes. And with it, comes the end of this mess."

Another murmur of agreement, followed by the sound of bodies shifting against the grass as the others laid down. Kairi lay next to me, and I pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as she lay her ear over my heart. With a wave of my hand, the fire went out.

I closed my eyes, and, with my love in my arms, and most of my _ka-tet_ near me, I slept.

--

_Matt opened his eyes, looking around at the circle of Heartless and Nobodies around him. He swallowed loudly, nervously, knowing why they were here._

"_Boy…" Morthoseth's voice growled in his mind. With that single word, a thousand painful fantasies flew threw Matt's mind, projected by the Spirit of Darkness. Matt cringed, falling to his knees as he was forced to feel a fraction of the pain from each. _

_Clearing his throat, he spoke aloud, his voice raspy, his throat dry. "Please…I couldn't just let them die! They've come so far…they deserve to see this! They deserve to l-"_

"_DESERVE TO WHAT?? LIVE?! YOU TRAITOROUS, CHILDISH FOOL! THEY COME TO DESTROY US BOTH! YOU WILL NOT BE SPARED, NOT BY THEM, AND MOST CERTAINLY NOT BY ME!!" Morthoseth's rage burst forth from Matt's own lips this time, causing many in the assembled circle to shrink back in fear of their master's voice._

_Matt shook his head, grasping at what little courage he had left. "No! They're coming for you! They'll save me!"_

_A sharp pain seemed to split Matt's spine in two, causing him to cry out in pain, screaming as he clawed at the ground beneath him. The pain was all he knew for what seemed like hours, days even. Then, it stopped, and he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. Looking around, he watched as many of the Heartless and Nobodies assembled seemed to liquefy, turning into a sort of mist that flew towards him before flying upwards, collecting above his body._

"_You fool…you still believe they CAN save you? That they can truly defeat ME?! I have come, led the way to this place, to the Dark Tower itself! WE BEAT THEM TO IT!! The only thing awaiting them here is death. A slow and painful one, at that. I will kill them all, and then I will let you fall apart, screaming in pain as I climb the Tower, and claim what is mine!"_

_As Matt lay on the purple grass, he looked upwards, through the thick cover of roses, to the Tower that now stood so close. Above him, Morthoseth, the immortal Spirit of Darkness, stood. _

_Alone._

--

Alright. Another short one, but I'm fairly sure I'm back in the groove of this thing. I even threw in a twist at the end to keep you guys around! In all honesty, though I hope you guys are still enjoying this. I'm remembering what it feels like to be writing this, and…I don't have the words to describe it.

R+R, as always, and I'll see you guys in the next one!


	11. Chapter 10: The Finish Line

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, the Dark Tower Series, or the song The Finish Line, by Snow Patrol.

I do own Sam, Matt, and the story of this adventure.

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= = = Sora = = =

I know my reputation. I'm supposed to be the comic relief, the happy-go-lucky kid who rushes in without thinking things over first. I'm the guy who thinks with his heart more than his head. I'm supposed to be the hero, the one who keeps trying, no matter how bad things get.

For a long time, that reputation was more accurate than I usually like to admit. I'd saved the worlds, twice, as well as my best friend, and the girl of my dreams. I'd finally gone home. I was happy. I really was. Then, I learned something about perfection: it's not real. I won't go into details…in all honesty, I've tried my hardest to forget it, and it seems to have worked, for the most part. It still hurts to look at her, see her with someone else, looking at _him_ like I always wanted her to look at _me._

But she's happy, and it hurts less every day. I'm adventuring again, on what might be the single most important journey of my life. Sure, it's definitely one of the shortest; both of my adventures with Donald and Goofy lasted for months on end, where we've been following Sam for just under a month, now. The stakes are the highest they've ever been, and we've got a real chance to finish this, all of this, forever.

The chance to end it…that's something I've been fighting for since I was 14 years old. For years, I've given everything I had to fighting the Heartless, and the Nobodies. I had to grow up more in 2 years than most do in 10. We all did. And now, to feel like we might really live to see the end of that threat…I can't describe it.

Considering all the choices I've made in the last few years, I have very few regrets. Honestly, only two really stand out: Not telling Kairi how I felt sooner, and letting that regret cloud my mind for months after she turned me down. It took this last adventure for me to come back to myself, to smile again. And if there's anything I can thank Sam for, it's that. It's ironic…the guy who stole the girl of my dreams from me, helped me to get over her. I'll always care for her, of course…but I'm beginning to think that this is how it's supposed to be.

As I look up, now, I see four hills ahead of us, each higher than the last. I can feel something building in me, something getting ready. The Tower's there, after that last hill…I can feel it. I can feel the pull of it, calling me closer.

And I decide it's time to let go of my regrets.

= = = Riku = = =

I know my reputation. I'm the quiet one, the loner, the protector. I'm the guy who keeps his cool under pressure, who doesn't speak unless he's got something important to say. I'm the one who stays unemotional, no matter how bad it gets.

Most of the time, that reputation's still accurate. After Sora and Kairi had their falling-out, it had to be. I knew they needed me to be that guy. They needed me to confide in, to trust. Back then, I was the only one they had. Sora fell to pieces, changed almost entirely. He spent more and more time indoors, wanted nothing to do with anything. There were more crises than I like to admit, even to myself. I won't go into details…the memories alone are enough to start my heart racing again.

Kairi…well, even now, I'm not sure what she was going through. Where I could sympathize with Sora, even figure out what he actually needed, at times…I was at a loss with Kairi. All I could do was be there for her, when she'd let me. She spent most of her time on the island, thinking about how things used to be. Before the Heartless, before the Nobodies…before we left home. I joined her occasionally, and we talked about the past a lot. I was worried she was getting closer and closer to living in the past, and I knew Sora was already there.

Then, she found Sam. Within days, we were ready for another adventure. Meeting him changed Kairi almost overnight, brought her back to her old self. That day, when Sora spoke on the island, about the letter…it was the first time he'd spoken in over a week. It was a sign that maybe he was coming back, too. When we found out there might _really_ be a way to end the Heartless, forever…I think it was the hope Sora needed. He started speaking up more and more, to me at least.

Most of that ended the night after Sam got attacked. What he said to him, about Kairi…I knew he was really ready to move on. It was like seeing her happy made a part of him whole again. Of course, it still hurt him to see them together, in ways I can only guess at. But he's getting better, I think. Stronger. He's letting her go, one day at a time. And that's good for him.

One of these days, I've gotta pull Sam aside, thank him for that. I don't know what I'll say to him…or if I'll say much of anything at all. But I'll let him know what his coming did for all of us. It brought us all back, myself included. I'd been devoting every bit of energy I had to holding our friendship together, and I could feel Sora and Kairi slipping farther and farther from me every day. Without having to do that…I could really focus on ending this mess, once and for all.

I can feel it now. The Tower. Some part of me knows it's there, over that 3rd hill. I'm ready, _more _than ready, to fight. One last time. And I know what I'll be fighting for. It might sound bad, but I'm not fighting for the worlds, or to end the Heartless…

I fight for my friends. Just as I always have.

= = = Kairi = = =

I know my reputation. I'm the kidnapped princess, the believer, the dreamer. I'm the one the boys fight over, the referee in their never-ending games. I'm the hero's prize, the reason he keeps fighting. I'm the one he rides off into the sunset with while the credits roll.

It couldn't be less true. In reality, I'm the kidnapped princess who can rescue herself. I'm the one the boys fight over, just as often as the one they fight _with_. I'm the referee in their games, because I'm the one that starts them, more often than not. I'm stubborn, and I can put up a fight, whether it seems that way or not. And I _hate _it when people judge me by my reputation.

That was one of the biggest problems I had with Sora's feelings, or at least, that's what I told myself. I was mad at him at first, because it seemed like he thought it was just a given that we be together. After all, he'd saved the world twice trying to come back to me, hadn't he? Of course, by the time I realized there was more to it, I'd already told him as much. That's one of the things I regret most after we all came home. I just reacted, didn't think about the bigger picture. I mean, it's not like I'd ever really felt that way about him…I just wish I'd handled it differently. Maybe, if I'd been less hard on him, he wouldn't have changed so much…

That's what I thought about when Riku didn't join me on the island. When he was there, we talked about how things were before we left, and I suppose he probably thinks that's all I ever thought about. But I spent more than a little time there regretting the way I'd handled things with Sora. That's what I was _really _going to do the day after the shooting star…the day I met Sam.

I remember what I was thinking when I found him. At first, I'd thought it was Sora, fallen asleep on the beach again, like he used to. I would have turned back, but the currents had shifted with the tide, and I knew it would be easiest to wait at the island until the tides changed again. When I got closer, though, I realized it was someone different. I didn't recognize this guy at all.

I remember tying my boat to the dock as fast as I could, running over to where he was as fast as I could. I don't know why, at least I didn't then. All I knew was that he was asleep below the high tide line, and the tide was coming in. That was all the justification I needed at the time. I found some pieces of scattered wood near him, putting them in the shed in case they were important.

I managed to pull him above the tide line, but instead of waking him up, something inside me told me to wait. The way he looked at me when he finally woke up…it was like I was the first girl he'd ever laid eyes on. He seemed fascinated by me, and I could think of no reason for him to be. However, by the time we left to head for Disney Castle, the fascination (while a bit more subtle on my part) was mutual.

I don't think he even realized what he was doing, before we were together. The way he looked at me, the way he spoke to me…I recognized it as flirting, even if he didn't. I returned it, trying (and failing) to keep from getting too attached to him. After all, he'd just fallen into my life one day. Who could say he wouldn't fall out of it the next?

But he didn't. He fought to protect me, even though I still believe I didn't need protecting. That night in the Old Bailey, he told me the truth, choosing honesty over safety. He trusted me, when I felt I'd done little to earn his trust. And that was back when we just _liked_ each other.

Now…after everything these last few years, I can feel everyone's excitement in the air. We're all going to fight. Together. Riku's slowly becoming himself again, letting go of the persona he thought Sora and I needed. Sora's almost as good as new, and things between us...there's still moments of awkwardness, but I know I have his friendship, and he has mine. And Sam…I could go all gushy about him, but I'll spare you the details. I'm ready to fight for everyone, but for him, most of all.

I'm ready to fight to protect the one I love. That's all the reason I need.

= = = Matt = = =

I know my reputation. I'm the fallen comrade, the one you don't want to fight, but you know you have to. I'm the one who got us all into this mess. I've damned myself, for the sake of a lie. I'm the sacrifice, the most regretted loss at the end.

I can't tell you how accurate that is. I've given up everything, for nothing. I've fought against one of my best friends, against my will. I've become the villain, the destroyer. I've plunged more worlds than I can count into darkness, strengthening the Heartless ranks enormously with each. I've corrupted others to my path, others who could carry on what I've started, with much more passion.

When my world ended, I was so close to being saved with Sam. But I felt the darkness clawing at me, and it hurt too much…and I let go. Sam was brought to the Islands, and his salvation. Me? The darkness claimed me, tore me apart, warped me into a monstrous shadow of what I once was. I am neither Heartless or Nobody. I'm caught between the darkness, and nothing at all, and I'm not sure which is worse anymore.

The first time I showed myself to him, on the islands, it was my idea. I wanted to let him know that I was alright, that I was, in a sense, alive. Before I knew it, I was saying things without planning to, threatening him, and knowing that part of me meant it. The next time we met, in Radiant Garden, I was frozen in place, horrified by what I was being ordered to do. I pleaded with the darkness to let him be, until it stole my body from me entirely. Once it realized I would fight back, it took over more and more often, until I had become a prisoner in my own body.

When it had started, it promised me everything I could want, and more. So much more. By the time I realized the promises were false, it was too late. I'd helped it, made it so powerful that I couldn't fight it alone anymore.

Now, it knows that I'm too much of a burden to deal with. It's used me to channel itself, give itself a body. I'm still a prisoner in my own flesh, and I'm scared for Sam, and the others. I know what it's planning, and I don't know if I'll be able to help them again. I know that I die if it does, but that's a price I'm prepared to pay. One I deserve to pay.

Part of me can feel them, just over the ridge. I can feel some of what they're feeling, the excitement, the anticipation, the hope. I'm trying to keep my fear from them, keep them from dreading what's about to come. Any moment now, they'll come. They'll look out over all of this, all of the forces of the darkness gathered around the Tower. They'll share one last glance, one last breath with each other. Then they'll come. Whatever happens after that, I know I won't come out of this alive.

At least, I know I don't deserve to.

= = = Sam = = =

I know my reputation. I'm the savior, the one with the answers, the nerd from Podunk, Wisconsin. I'm the one with the plan, the one who knows how to end this, once and for all. I'm the one who goes into this, knowing I'll have to kill my friend.

I've been thinking about that a lot, lately. What I am to them, I mean. I'm so scared I won't be able to live up to it. I'm scared I'm going to fail, and it'll all be over because I wasn't strong enough, or smart enough, or skilled enough.

But when the top of the Tower clears the last hill, all those thoughts vanish. I keep going, realizing, as I look at the twisting column of clouds above it, that we've been looking at the Tower since we arrived here. A sound reaches my ears, a song, singing of a thousand things, salvation, destruction, hope, dreams, belief, inspiration, loss, good and evil, light and dark, hearts and minds and bodies and souls, everything that's ever been, and everything that ever will be. A single tear slides down my cheek, and I don't consciously know why.

I keep walking, stopping at the top of the hill. To my left, the others stop. We stare, in awe, at the Dark Tower before us, before our eyes drop down to the field of darkness below. The entire valley is filled with black bodies and yellow eyes, broken up every now and then by a flash of white or grey. Somewhere in there, Matt…Morthoseth is waiting.

I look over, at the others. For the last mile or so, we've been silent, walking in our own thoughts. Sora looks to me, smiling slightly as he summons Ultima in one hand, and Fenrir in the other. Riku simply nods, Way to Dawn already in his hand. I look to Kairi…and I have no words. Neither does she. We speak to each other with our eyes, and that's enough. We both summon our Keyblades together, and look forward.

Together, we take a collective breath, one last preparation before the end. I close my eyes, and everything I'm fighting for flashes in my mind. My world, my home, my family, my friends, my ka-tet, my love…and in that instant, I know I'm ready. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to reach the Tower, to reach the top. To end this, once and for all.

We share one last glance, enough to acknowledge each other's presence. We all nod.

And together, we run towards the Tower.

Towards our destiny.

--

Almost done...sorry it's been so long since my last new chapter, guys. I really am. We're coming to the end of this story, finally.  
Not that I'm tired of it...it just becomes rather draining to worry about finishing a story through months of writer's block.

Anyways, R+R as always. With any luck, a favorable review might be just the inspiration I need.

And in case I don't get the chance, guys...Thank you for your support. Even if you hate it now, I had far more support than I  
expected when this fic started, and I can't thank you enough for that.


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